A Tale of Two Links
by Link-the-hylian
Summary: Basically, the Link from OOT is frozen in time and meets the Link from WW, assisting in his journey. Obviously that makes it AU, and would make no sense with the Zelda timeline, if there is such a thing.
1. Prologue

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ZELDA, NINTENDO DOES.

**AN: I played Wind Waker again, and this came to mind. That's my big story. Yay…**

Hyrule Town lay in ruins. Nineteen year old Link looked around in awe. People were fleeing, and a horde of moblins and darknuts were looting the town, heading towards the castle, where Link stood to help defend. The other guards had foolishly broke rank and charged forward. They were cut down, leaving Link and a handful of soldiers at the castle gate, waiting for the end. Smoke was billowing out from the town, and fire was spreading. A line of moblins was approaching the castle.

Link drew his bow, and readied an arrow. The guards pointed their spears down at the enemy. The moblins stopped a small distance away. A short silence followed, broken by the whistle of an arrow and the piercing of moblin flesh. Link readied another arrow. The moblins cried out angrily, and charged forward. Link dropped another with an arrow, and then drew his sword.

The guards all took a step forward as one and thrust their spears forward. Several moblins fell, but many more took their place. The guards tossed their spears, and drew swords for close combat. The enemies cleaved their way through with swords and axes. Link slashed two, but was forced to back up because of a darknut, which had arrived at the battlefield. More were coming, and the wild two handed sword swings forced Link and the other soldiers to back up into the castle. Link and the guards were forced all the way into the main hall, past the statue of Link that had been erected in the middle, protecting the new home of the Master Sword. An axe flew at it, embedding in its face.

_Not a good omen, _Link thought, as he and the guards stood their ground. By now the enemies had spread around, and were destroying things. Many were still attacking, and the guards were all slain quickly. Link resigned himself to death in this room, but it was not meant to be. The goddesses were not done with this Hero of Time. The colour began to drain out of the castle, and Link noticed the enemies began to lose their colour as well, and slow to a stop in whatever pose they had been in. Although he did not know it, this was happening all over Hyrule.

A darknut not yet consumed charged him, weapon raised. Link brought his sword up and blocked. They froze in this position, staring each other down, all of the colour gone from them. Neither moved for several hundred years.

**Just a lousy prologue, I know. If it happened to grab your interest, feel free to let me know with a review!**


	2. Meeting of the Heroes

**AN: Ok, the first real chapter. I rewrote this twice. It seems like it may have been soon, but I worked on this before I posted the prologue. Anyway, I have to say I didn't expect four positive reviews on a PROLOGUE within 24 hours. Thanks a lot people, you're awesome.**

**Review Responses:**

**Freakyanimegal456: Well, glad you liked it. I'm afraid putting in a THIRD Link might get a bit out of hand, so as much as I think he is the best, TP Link won't make an appearance. Thanks for the review though!**

**Gaara-kun39: Nothing to say but thanks!**

**Greyfirestorm: Wow, I'm flattered. Glad you liked it so much, be sure to keep reading!**

**Anime Wildfire: Glad you liked it, thanks for reviewing!**

Deep under the great sea, in the ruins of Hyrule castle, something stirred for the first time in several hundred years. Hyrule was a land frozen in time, all the life and colour drained from it. But colour was returning to the green tunic of Link, the hero of time. He awoke, locked in combat with a still frozen darknut. As soon as he awoke, he instinctively lowered his sword, and plunged it through the darknut's stomach. It went right through, but left no visible wound.

He looked around, and thought back to what had happened. He had been fighting uselessly in the castle, which was overrun by Ganon's leftover creatures. The castle had begun to freeze up, and it was still frozen now. Except him. He had never seen this particular effect, but he knew what it was. The area was frozen in time. Why he had awoken was anybody's guess.

Link walked through the entrance, out into the front area. He looked up, and noticed something wrong with the sky. It was wavy, and a deep blue colour he had never seen. He couldn't leave the area, as there was a cliff all around that was just a little too high. It seemed the castle had sunk into the earth a few meters.

Out of the blue, a golden ring of light appeared in front of him, on the ground. He thought he heard a faint, echoing voice, urging him to step inside. He shrugged, and jumped into the centre. He felt himself slowly lift off the ground, up to the sky. The ring of light shot up, forming a column all around him. He approached the sky, and it slowly dawned on him that it was water. He was beneath water? The column stopped as he hit the water, and it was just like falling in a river, but slowly and upside down. He was floating up, and he held his breath as long as he could. Finally he had no choice but to inhale. Instead of a mouthful of water, he was able to breathe normally.

He breached the surface, into an open expanse of very clear, blue water. There was a large ship straight ahead of him. He shielded his eyes, trying to get a look at who was on it. He could see a figure pointing at him and shouting something. A much smaller person ran up next to him, and took a look. Link waved his hand above his head, still using his other to help stay afloat. The ship adjusted its course, and sailed towards him. As it got closer, Link could make out the people on board. They all had casual clothes, some torn up in places. They were all armed, and Link couldn't help but notice several had drawn weapons. Giving commands was a very young girl with tanned skin and blonde hair. She looked barely past childhood.

A rope was lowered, and Link swam over to it. He gripped it tight, and climbed up quickly. When he got to the top, He was roughly grabbed by two large men, and tossed to the floor. One of them stomped his foot down on Link's back, holding him there.

"Alright, who are you!" The man shouted.

Link didn't answer. He reached his hands back and grabbed the leg, pulling it and tripping the man. The man fell back, and Link hopped to his feet, drawing his sword. Another guy charged at him, but Link disarmed him in two quick slashes, and then smacked him on the head with the flat side of his sword. He spun around and pointed his sword to the neck of the first man, who was just getting up. Another pirate was coming to join the fight.

Suddenly the young girl laughed. She walked forward, hands in her pockets, slouching.

"That's enough. He got you good! Two on one and he didn't even have his weapon out." She said, smiling.

Link backed away, slowly lowering his sword, but keeping it out.

"Who are you, anyway?" the girl asked.

"My name is Link. Yours?" Link replied.

"Tetra. How did you end up out there? Way far from any land." Tetra asked.

Link shrugged, and said, "how did someone as young as you get to be captain of some pirates?"

She shrugged. "Fair enough. I won't press you any more. I like you, would you like me to drop you off next stop?" She asked.

Link nodded. He didn't know how long he had been frozen in time, but if Hyrule was flooded, it had to have been a few hundred years. Something like that couldn't have happened overnight. A hundred years at the very minimum. He would get dropped off at some land, or an island, and… live. He suddenly felt an overwhelming sorrow, Hyrule was gone, all his friends were dead.

Tetra must have seen something in his eyes, because she said, "you don't look so good… how about you lie down, but when you wake up there's going to be some work to do. We don't take cheapskates."

Link bowed his head in thanks. She had a short, stubby pirate lead him downstairs into a room full of mattresses on the floor. The stubby guy pointed to one, and Link lay down. He fell asleep quickly, and his dreams were full of water rushing, pouring from all sides and filling everything, and he saw everyone he knew, Malon, Zelda, the Kokiris, his home village, all covered by it…

He woke with a start. Several pirates were sleeping on other mattresses. Link got up, stretching. He headed up the stairs onto the deck. It was dark, probably around two in the morning, judging by the moon. Tetra was at the front, staring out over the ocean. She turned around to look at Link.

"Know anything about ships?" She asked.

Link shook his head. She sighed. "Just stand in the crow's nest, and tell me if you see anything. Oh, and there's a telescope up there." She said.

Link looked at her blankly. She groaned, and pointed to the bucket on top of the mast. Link climbed the ladder quickly, and picked up the telescope at the top. He peered out over the vast ocean, occasionally peering through the telescope to check something out. He stood there for four hours, but just as the sun began to rise, he saw something. He zoomed in with the telescope. It seemed to be a funny coloured bird flying towards them. He thought nothing of it, until he realized how far he had zoomed in. The bird was massive. It was mostly blue, with red feathers at the ends of its wings and a white metal mask. Link's eyes widened.

"Tetra!" He called. "There's a giant bird over there. Is that normal?"

"What? Hold on, I'll be right there." She called, expertly climbing up the ladder. She peered out at the bird, which was definitely heading for them now.

Link drew his sword. Tetra turned and shouted orders to the pirates, who scrambled around. Link took a quick look at the ships defences. It had two cannons on each side, a cannon up front and one on the back. The cannons were being aimed but it was too late. The bird was extremely close and heading right for the crow's nest. Link stood in front of Tetra, shield raised. The bird slowed and lowered its talons, knocking Link over the side effortlessly. He stuck his sword in the sail, sliding down slowly.

He heard Tetra shriek as he landed. He looked up to see the giant bird, flying up again with Tetra in its talons, unconscious. A large man in a green shirt took command, giving orders and ignoring Link. The ship was brought about, pointed towards the bird, with the cannon being loaded and aimed. The sail was fully raised, and the chase began.

Meanwhile, on an island not that far to the south, a young boy, also named Link, was just waking up. He slowly stood up, stretching.

"HHHHOOOOYYY!!!!!!!!" A voice shrieked from right behind him. He jumped, spinning around. A grin broke out on his face as he saw his sister, Aryll, smiling back at him.

"Grandma's looking for you." She stated smartly.

"Why?" Link asked.

"You're so hopeless… don't you remember? It's all grandma's been talking about. Your twelfth birthday?" She said.

Link's eyes widened. He had forgotten. He stretched again, cramped from sleeping on the hard, wooden floor of the lookout tower. He waved bye to his sister, climbing down the ladder quickly. He took off as he hit the ground, enjoying the sun's warmth. He approached his house, opening the door and calling out to his grandma.

"Up here!" He heard her voice come from up above. He climbed the ladder to the second story quickly. His grandma was standing against the wall, smiling. She was very small and hunched over, with white hair in a bun. She held in her hands some weird, green clothes.

"Hello Link. How are you this morning? I suppose you know what an important day this is. You are now the age the hero was when he saved the world from evil all those years ago, according to our legends. Of course, that hero was a swordsman. Our ways are the ways of peace, but it is important nonetheless that you know true courage as well. I made these special hero's clothes for you. Try them on!" She said, holding the clothing out to him. He looked at it distastefully.

"Don't be so down. Just for one day, I think it looks quite neat. Now go downstairs and try them on!" She said.

Link reluctantly did so. It was a brown shirt and white pants, with a sleeveless green tunic and green, pointy hat. It was very hot, and he felt ridiculous. A great hero wore THIS?

He climbed back up the ladder. His grandma smiled, and said, "You look fabulous. Run along now, show some people… You're party is tonight. I made your favourite soup!"

Link forced a smile, sweating underneath the heavy fabric. Weren't heroes supposed to wear armour? He said goodbye, running out the door. He headed for the tower, figuring his sister would get a kick out of his outfit.

He was right. She burst out laughing as soon as she saw him. His sister was ten, with short blonde hair and a flower dress. "Aren't those clothes hot? Well, they are kind of neat, I guess… in their own way." She said after she stopped laughing.

Link smiled. "I only have to wear them for today!" He insisted.

"Whatever. I'm going to give you your birthday present now… close your eyes." She replied.

Link did as he was told, extending his arms. Some thing metal was put there, and he opened his eyes to see his sister's telescope. It was orange, with gold rings and a picture of seagulls on it. Link smiled, kissing her forehead.

"Only for today. It's my most prized possession. Why don't you try?" She said.

Link did so, to make her happy. From the tower he had a great view of the island, as well as the ocean. He was gazing out over the forest when his sister shrieked, "Link! LOOK UP! Goddesses!"

Link looked up, noticing what looked like a bird. He zoomed in, and saw a massive bird creature, carrying a blonde girl in its talons. A cannonball shot by, and he looked down to see a pirate ship chasing it. One of the cannonballs smashed the bird upside the head as it flew over the island, and it glided somewhere behind the island, out of view. The girl, however, was dropped in the woods.

Link wasted no time. Aryll was shrieking about how he had to do something, and he agreed. He jumped off the ladder, running up the trail. Ha slowed down at the top, looking across the bridge at the entrance to the woods. He had no weapon, but that didn't matter. He trained occasionally with Orca, the resident swordsman, but he didn't own a sword. The woods could be dangerous, but he'd be ok as long as he was careful. He strode across the bridge. It was possible the girl had snagged on the trees, and survived.

He entered the woods, weaving through the trees. The island's forest was small, but hard to navigate. He vaulted a log, climbing up onto a ledge. He climbed up, and his heart almost stopped. A monster with a scimitar was up there, standing at the base of a large tree. The girl was caught up there, dead or unconscious he didn't know. He tried to back away, but the monster looked over. It was humanoid, but all green with a pig-like nose. It began to slink towards him, and he froze in fear.

"HYAAHH!!!" A voice called out. A man jumped up on the ledge, charging at the monster with a sword drawn. Link watched in awe as the man made short work of the monster, knocking its scimitar out of its hands and beheading it. He sheathed his sword, turning to look at Link.

The first thing Link noticed was that he was wearing almost the same outfit. The man was in his late teens probably, with a green tunic. No brown shirt, just a tunic with sleeves. He also had the same white pants and hat, although it was a bit longer. He was wearing brown gauntlets with silver plates on the back. His eyes were a piercing blue, and he had little blue earrings. The man was staring back at him, looking surprised.

"Who- who are you?" Link asked tentatively.

"My name's Link. What's yours?" He asked. His voice was warm, which was a contrast to his no-nonsense, take-no-prisoners appearance.

"My name's Link too." Link said.

"Really? It's not really a common name. And why are you dressed like that? You look a bit old to be a Kokiri." He replied.

Before Link could say anything, a big man in a green shirt climbed up on the ledge, screaming, "Ms. Tetra!"

The girl woke up. She panicked almost immediately, snapping the branch. She landed on her feet amazingly, looking at both Links.

"I… have I lost it? There's two people wearing the god awful outfit? Some kind of fad?" She asked, as if nothing had happened. "By the way, you two look like bothers or something. It's insane. Do you know each other? In fact, who are you little guy?"

"Link." Little Link replied.

"You're both named Link? I'm losing it. Whatever. Gonzo, we gotta get going." She said, heading out with the big one in tow.

The two Links looked at each other, and followed.

**AN:** **First of all, let me just address one issue. I'm going to find an easy way to distinguish between the two Links before this just gets out of hand.** **And yes, this chapter was boring, got to set everything up. Please Review.**


	3. The Forsaken Fortress

**AN: Sorry this took so long. I'm playing Sonic and the Secret Rings, it's a lot better than most of the other 3D Sonic crap.**

**Responses:**

**Gaara-kun39: Thanks for the review!**

**LinkIsaacANDLloyd: Yeah, this story pretty much smashes the Zelda timeline to all hell. I don't even want to think about it, it makes my head hurt. So, like you said, fuck the timeline. On another note, I guess this could be the same Link from my other stories and I may make some references, but it isn't a true sequel so I can't rely too much on my other stories. **

**LloydIrvingismine: Thanks for reviewing!**

**outofstategrl: Damn it, a plot hole. Thanks for the tip, I fixed it up. Thanks for the review too!**

"Hoy!" Aryll called from across the bridge. Little Link smiled, and walked past the pirates towards her. Suddenly a shriek rang out, and the giant bird swooped down from above. Link cried out as it grabbed his sister, and ran forward, jumping off the ledge. Tetra darted forward and grabbed him while big Link drew his hookshot, also running to the edge. He jumped and fired, and the hook embedded in its back. He was pulled over, riding atop the bird. He drew his sword to stab it, but it rolled over and he fell off towards the water below, screaming.

SPLOOSH! He hit the water hard on his back, and blackness swam over his vision. He fought it away, struggling to stay afloat. He swam clumsily to shore, crawling out of the water. He coughed up a bunch of water, and almost vomited. He looked back, but the bird was far away by now.

"Damn, are you alright? You must have been at least fifty feet up there!" He heard Tetra yell. He looked up to see the two pirates running towards him, with little Link struggling to keep up.

Link nodded. He had a knack for surviving things that would kill most people. His back hurt, but nothing was broken. Good thing it had been out over the ocean.

"Who was that?" Link asked little Link.

"My sister. Aryll." He said sadly.

"Sorry kid. Well, we got to get going. Gonzo, signal the ship." Tetra said.

"I'm coming with you." Little Link said firmly.

"I will too." Big Link added, feeling like he had failed earlier.

"Are you kidding me?! Why would we take you? You're not even in your teens yet, you're unarmed, and NEITHER of you know ANYTHING about ships." Tetra said.

"Excuse me." A voice spoke from above. Everyone spun around, and saw a man with wings land. He looked like a heavily tanned person with eagle wings, and a beak for a nose. He had a fierce look to him, but his voice was soothing.

"Who do you think you are? Stay out of our conversation!" Gonzo said angrily.

The birdman ignored him. "My name is Quill. I am a member of the Rito tribe, although I suppose you know me better as the postman. I saw everything that happened on this island recently, and I feel you, the big important pirates, missed something. Have you not heard of the recent kidnappings? Young women with pointed ears are being taken from all over the great sea, and many report seeing that great bird."

Tetra raised her hands to her ears. Big Link noticed them now, distinctly Hylian ears. Gonzo's were rounded. Perhaps they were not all Hylians here.

"Do you know why Link's sister was taken? She wasn't the bird's target. YOU were. The bird thought she was you. Her kidnapping is your fault. The decision is yours, of course. I will simply tell you that that bird makes its nest to the north, in the Forsaken Fortress." Quill finished, taking flight.

Tetra looked down. "Alright fine. I'll take you both. But only if you can get some weapons." She said to little Link.

"I have something for him." Big Link spoke up, reaching for the Kokiri sword. He had used it as a knife recently, but it was a good size for a kid.

He passed it to him, in its simple brown sheath. Little Link murmured his thanks. "I don't have a shield for you, but you can go with just the sword if you want." Big Link said. He felt somehow responsible for helping this kid get his sister back.

"Actually, I know where I can get one." Little Link said, running off without another word.

Link watched him run off towards a house. He was inside for about ten minutes, and during that time Tetra questioned him about his past some more.

"Why are you both dressed like that?" She asked out of the blue.

Link shrugged. "It's traditional where I was raised, and I stuck with it. It's… roomy, flexible, and fairly tough."

She looked at him with one eye closed. "Riiight. Were you raised where he was raised?"

Link shook his head.

"Why is he dressed like that then? No one else here is." She asked.

Link shrugged. "Ask him."

"His sister was just kidnapped, I don't think I'll question his taste in clothes." She said wryly. "I still think you're leaving something out. Your clothes look like something from a legend."

Little Link came back out then, looking depressed. On his back, over the Kokiri sword, was an old brown shield depicting a Pegasus and the triforce.

Tetra looked like she was about to make a smart remark but thought better of it. "Fine. We have to get going; pirates won't help your island's reputation. But first, if we're going to have the two of you with the same name, I need last names."

"I don't know mine." Big Link said.

Tetra looked at him oddly but didn't pursue it. "What about you little guy?"

"Don't call me little. You're barely older than me. But my last name is Naito." Little Link responded.

"Link Naito?" Tetra asked. "No offence kid, but that's the weirdest name I've ever heard, and I've been all over. But whatever. From now on, we're calling you that. Now, Does your family know you're leaving?" Tetra asked.

Link nodded. They all piled into the rowboat, rowing out to the ship.

THE NEXT DAY:

"So, Naito, why are you dressed like that?" Link asked. After realizing they were both hopeless on the boat, Tetra stuck them both in the crow's nest. They took turns looking, with the other resting. Link was now resting.

"Tradition on my island. I have to dress like the hero of the legends on my birthday. I would change out, but I have nothing else to wear." Naito replied, looking through a telescope.

"What legends are these?" Link asked, genuinely curious.

"You don't know them? I thought everyone did. Well, I'm not a good storyteller; let's see if I can get this right. Supposedly, about a thousand years ago, there was a kingdom instead of this ocean. The people lived there happily for a long time, until an evil creature spread his influence across the land. He took control, and monsters ruled the land. Everyone gave up hope until a hero, wearing a green tunic like ours, traveled through time to save the world. Long story short, he killed the monster, everyone was happy. But very soon after, it came back. The hero did not appear as the people hoped, so the goddesses intervened, flooding the world."

Link listened. To him, this all happened less than a week ago. Naito continued his job, and Link got some sleep.

They arrived that night. Link spotted the fortress by its searchlights, and warned Tetra to stop. Tetra joined them, snatching the telescope. "Hmm… A small time band of pirates used to live here. It was nothing then. Looks dangerous now. How are we going to get in? Our rowboat can't get through that gate, and if we blow it open they'll see us."

Link stared out. "I might be able to swim in, and grapple the wall." He suggested.

Naito shook his head. "I have to go, It's my sister."

Tetra smiled suddenly. "I can get you in…no swimming involved. Follow me." She said slyly, sliding down the ladder. Link and Naito followed.

Tetra hauled a barrel up from inside the ship. "Uh… Naito, there's only one way for you to go there. Get in the barrel."

"Going to float me out there?" He asked, hopping into the barrel.

"Something like that." Tetra said, snapping her fingers. Gonzo picked up the barrel, moving towards the front of the ship. It looked to Link like he was heading for the catapult…

"Oh my Go-" Tetra put a hand over his mouth. Naito had ducked inside the barrel, and couldn't see where he was going. Gonzo put him on the catapult. He finally poked his head out.

"So, what do I-" He looked down suddenly, and saw where he was. "What the…"

"Only way in, I'm afraid. We're pros though. We're gonna launch you good! Take this for luck." Tetra said, handing him a small blue stone on a string. He pocketed it without glancing at it.

"Look, there's gotta be a better way!" He shouted,

"ONE!" Tetra yelled, ignoring him completely. Link just watched in silence.

"Maybe I can swim it!"

"TWO!"

"The rowboat maybe?!"

"THREE!"

Gonzo unleashed the catapult. Naito's screams faded into the distance. Link stood there with his mouth open while the pirates laughed. Tetra was staring into a blue stone like the one she gave Naito, and Link looked over her shoulder.

He could see Naito in the stone. He was flying over the wall, towards the tower at high speed. He slammed into it, and his sword flew up and away. He plummeted back down, landing in the water below.

"Oh shit…" Tetra swore.

Luckily the stone showed him surface, amazingly alive. He scrambled onto the stone floor of the fortress. Tetra suddenly spoke into the stone, and it seemed like Naito could hear it.

"Shit, your sword is all the way up there? Sorry bud, we must have been off a bit. Just so you know, I can see and talk to you through the stone I gave you." She said.

She turned around to say something to Link. But he was gone. He was at the side of the ship, poised over the ocean. He looked back. "I'm going after him."

"Not a good idea. The water will probably kill you, and the fortress is no cakewalk either. Maybe he'll be ok." Tetra said as Link hurled himself off the edge in a graceful dive. "Ugh. Stubborn jackass." Tetra finished, running to the edge. Link was fighting the rough water, slowly making his way towards the fortress.

"Orders, Miss Tetra?" Gonzo asked.

She sighed, and said, "Hold position. We give them until first light. If they're not back by then, we're out of here."

**AN: Whatever you do, DON'T mock Link's last name. I went a through a lot of trouble for it. It means "knight" in Japanese. I waded through a bunch of translators to find one that gave me it in English letters, AND THEN typed in word after word for something that sounded OK. I decided on that. I didn't pick it on a whim. Feel free to complain about anything else though, I thought the end felt forced. Please Review!**


	4. Enter Ganondorf

**AN: Yay, people didn't mind that last chapter. I have my confidence back. This chapter is short, and not particularly good, but it is kind of special… I'll explain why after.**

**Responses:**

**Anime Wildfire: Nice to see that name being appreciated, after all the work I… sorry, I'll stop complaining. Anyway, I'm glad you liked it, hope to see you in this chapter's reviews!**

**Outofstategrl: Ok, so maybe she swears a lot, but she's a pirate. Swearing pretty much comes with the job. Thanks for the review!**

**Gaara-kun39: Woot, another person who appreciates the name! Thanks for the review.**

Link Naito set off up a nearby ramp, which led to the main plaza of the fortress. He had placed the stone around his neck so that he could hear anything Tetra said.

"Damn it… Link is coming after you, ignoring my opinion of course. If you want to wait you can." Her voice came from the stone.

As tempting as it was to wait, he had to press on. He had to find his sister as soon as possible. He reached the plaza after a switchback in the stairs. Searchlights were playing across it from somewhere up above. Naito crept out, staying close to the wall. A little further on there was a ramp leading up, and it was spotlight free. He sidled along the wall towards but, but suddenly a spotlight changed direction and came at him. He ran for the ramp, barely staying ahead of the revealing light. He dove onto the ramp, and the light passed by. He let out a breath of relief, and headed up.

Outside the fortress, Link fought the rough seas, struggling toward the fortress. He wished he had thought to put on his zora tunic… he was too damn impulsive. A searchlight passed over him once, but it didn't seem to notice him from that far away.

He reached the edge of the fortress, and climbed onto a rock attached to the wall. He drew his hookshot, looking up from some wood. There was none. Figures. He sighed, changing into his golden gauntlets.

WHAM! WHAM! He punched two hand holds and began climbing, making places for his hand as he went. Luckily the stone was fairly soft. He made it to the top, and rolled over it and over the other side. He landed in the water with a splash, and swam to land. He climbed out on the same place where Naito had stood ten minutes earlier. He climbed the stairs with less caution, hurrying. This is why he stepped onto the plaza, only to be seen by a searchlight.

He sighed as an alarm rang out, drawing his weapons. He dashed up the ramp, which seemed a logical choice for Naito to get higher up. Several monsters which Link hadn't seen before came running down. They were like goblins, a bit shorter than him and wielding sticks with little spikes in them. There were five, but Link knew there would be more.

He dispatched a green one before it could even react. He jumped sideways to duck a second one's swing, and stabbed it with both hands. They were looking at him fearfully now, clearly not expecting him to have any strength. One ran, and the other two attacked as one. Link charged energy into his sword, and spun. Both were vaporized on impact with his infamous spin attack.

Link continued running up. He knew those were simple grunts, and more powerful creatures would be dispatched now.

Naito was near his goal now. He was at the base of the tower that held Aryll, according to Tetra. The alarm had gone off, but he hadn't been attacked. He guessed Link was seen, and was hoping he was alright.

A moblin was between him and his goal. It carried a spear and a lantern, and without a sword he would stand no chance. He doubted he could fight it even with one, Orca had only taught him so much. There was a narrow passage leading to a ramp which circled the tower all the way to the top. The moblin was patrolling the passage. On one side it dropped off, as this was the edge of the fortress. There was a wall on the other side.

Sneaking past was impossible. He got his shield ready. It was wooden, but there was a thin layer of metal on it, just enough so that it wasn't flammable. It might stand up to that spear. He waited until the moblin turned away, and then ran out, silent as only a child can be. As he ran by the moblin he smacked it with his shield, and it spun all the way around as he passed it, wasting precious seconds. It finally spun again to face the wrong way. It hurled its lantern, and Naito dodged by rolling forward. It came after him, running fast for something so big. Naito reached the end, where it turned inwards and begun to spiral around the tower. He spun to face the charging moblin. It stabbed out, and he ducked, then somehow managed to use his shield and flip the moblin up and over, taking advantage of its running momentum. It landed on its back behind him, and Link took off up the ramp, amazed at his feat of strength.

Link ran along the passageway. There was a moblin at the end, facing away from him. He passed a smashed lantern as he ran up, sword ready. The moblin turned around as he jumped, and his sword split its skull. It dropped like a sack of potatoes.

He looked to his left. There was a passage leading up that spiraled around the main tower. There was a wooden structure up there, something that looked like a boat perched on the stone tower. He had a funny feeling about that building, and headed up the path.

At the other end of that very same path, halfway up the tower, Naito was entering an open area. It was surrounded by a low wall to keep you from falling down over the edge. There was a huge brown door leading inside the tower, and in front of it was a green monster. Link knew from his training with Orca that it was a bokoblin, fairly high ranking judging by its black headband. It held a scimitar in one hand, and the Kokiri Sword in another.

It looked at him, yellow eyes narrowing. It let out a short, odd cry, shuffling towards him. A gate jutted up from the ground behind him, blocking the way back. The bokoblin slashed at him with both swords, and he rolled through its legs, running to the door. It was locked by a giant bolt that not only would have been too heavy for him, but it was too high up.

He ducked as the monster stabbed at him from behind, and the scimitar embedded in the door. Link spun and raised his shield, blocking a slash with the Kokiri sword. He rolled to the side, running to another side. He was opposite the way in now, back to the wall. The bokoblin had freed itself, and was walking towards him slowly.

"Children should not play here." It said in a scratchy, monotone voice. Suddenly it leapt at him, eyes glinting…

An arrow burst through its throat. A spray of green blood hit the front of Naito's tunic. The monster slumped to the ground at his feet, arrow straight through its neck. Naito could now see Link on the other side of the gat across from him, with his bow drawn. There was a slight smile on his face.

"I made it!" He called as the gate sunk back into the ground.

"Thanks a lot. Just in time." Naito ran over after picking up the Kokiri sword, looking at him with what looked like admiration. "You have good aim… can you do everything?"

Link laughed at that. "I wish… Come on; let's get your sister out of there." He walked over to the large door, and shoved it open with a grunt. Naito ran in ahead of him.

"STOP!" Link shouted as Naito ran towards a large cage containing his sister. As soon as he entered the room, Link knew something was off. Clearly Naito didn't have the same feeling. Link's eyes darted all over, as he entered cautiously. Naito had stopped too, and seemed to be looking around as well.

There was a loud shriek, and the giant bird dropped in from an opening at the top of the tower. Naito yelled out in surprise, gawking at it. Link ran forward as it grabbed Naito in one of its talons. He drew his sword and slashed at its other leg. It had been about to take off, but it looked down at him now, shrieking in rage. Its mouth darted down and it grabbed him, dangling from its beak. His sword fell to the floor as it carried them both up and out.

It brought them to the wooden building. In front of it was a man Naito didn't recognize, but who Link knew all too well.

"You!" Link gasped, looking at him with pure hate, and a tinge of fear.

Ganondorf looked at them both, smiling slightly at Link. He jerked his head to the side once. The bird flung both Links to the side, out into the ocean, and both lost consciousness.

**AN: Ok, first of all, this chapter is special because this was the part in the game that gave birth to this idea. I watched little Link run into the room without thinking before finally clueing in, and for no reason I imagined an older, smarter Link at the door, who had warned him not too. The idea grew from there was I played through the game, and I kept seeing places where an older Link would fit in. Enough out of me, please review!**


	5. Dragon Roost Island

**AN: Only two reviews… tsk tsk tsk.**

**Anime Wildfire: Thanks for reviewing!**

**Outofstategrl: Sorry about the violence… My stories tend to stay mostly mild, so don't worry. I'm also glad you liked the name, I feel like my hard work was worth it. And thanks for the review!**

**Gaara-kun39: Wow, I'm flattered… thanks for the review!**

**HaltiOvi: Hey, a new face. Good news, I USUALLY update fairly quickly. Hope this was quick enough!**

"Link… Wake up Link… damn it Link, pull yourself together!"

Link Naito slowly opened his eyes. He was looking up at a bright blue sky. He was lying on something wooden, and he was stiff all over. He sat up slowly, looking around for the source of that voice. He was in a small red boat, with some sort of statue facing the front. He leaned to the side to get a good look at it when suddenly it turned to look at him!

He screamed briefly and fell back against the rudder. The statue was a dragon's head, red as the boat but with a yellow beard. It was laughing now. Link got up slowly, eyeing it.

"I understand your surprise. Wide as the world is, I am the only boat upon it that can speak the words of men. I am the King of Red Lions… do not fear, for I am not your enemy."

Naito continued watching him. "How did you know my name?"

"Your friend, the other Link told me…He's around town now. That is beside the point. I have been watching you for quite a while now… and such a siege against the Forsaken Fortress was foolhardy! I suppose you saw the man in command of that bird… Ganon. He goes by Ganondorf I suppose, but that is an illusion. He is evil incarnate. You know of him through legend, the evil one sealed away a millennia ago. I do not know why the god's seal has failed, but the world is once again threatened by his evil power. Do you still wish to save your sister?" The King of Red Lions asked.

Link nodded vigorously. The boat continued, "I see. I can help you then, if you do me a favour. It is embarrassing to admit this, but I have no sail, and a boat with no sail can sail no seas. I need you to find one in the town here on this island."

"No problem." Naito said, hopping out of the boat into some knee-deep water.

"Er, before you go… there is something I should tell you. It's about your friend, the other Link. You… do now know who he truly is, do you? I don't believe he truly does either." The boat seemed to be talking to itself here, but snapped back to attention and said, "Forget it. It is unimportant. Find him as well; he will aid you on your quest, no doubt."

Naito nodded, and walked along the rocky face to the beach, getting his first look at the town. It was bright and cheerful, small but bustling with activity. He entered through a large archway which read "Windfall Island."

He had never been off of his island, and this place held a sense of wonder for him. He ran along, looking up at all the people. He decided to try and find Link first… but where to start?

"HYA!" Link's distinctive scream rang out. That was one way to find him. Naito ran towards the source of the voice.

He saw a small laughing crowd in a circle, and he pushed to the center. Link was in the middle, standing with his foot on the back of some random guy, who was apologizing profusely for something.

"What happened?" Naito asked the guy next to him.

"The guy on the floor tried to pickpocket the one in the green get-up. Man, glad I wasn't him. By the time I blinked he was on the ground." The guy chuckled.

In the middle, Link had finally let the guy go, who got up and ran for it. Naito walked up to Link, who was looking at the crowd as if surprised to see them. He looked down at Naito. "You're awake!" He said.

Naito nodded, and asked, "What are you doing here in town?"

"Trying to find a sword. Everyone here looks at me like I've lost it. Aren't there any weapons around?" He replied exasperatedly.

"Not really… this part of the ocean is pretty peaceful." Naito replied.

Link sighed. "I can't believe I dropped my sword… look, I'll have to find one elsewhere. We should get going."

Naito shook his head, and said, "I have to find a sail."

"Oh, no problem. Some guy was selling one over here." Link said, strading off.

Naito followed him to a little counter set up outdoors. A short man in a suit that looked WAY to hot for the weather was behind it, shouting his wares, which seemed to include a sail and nothing else. Luckily, that was all they needed.

"How much for the sail?" Naito questioned, counting his rupees.

"Ah, but it is not a mere sail! It is my only possession! I was out in the water, when a storm wrecked my boat! I was left clutching that as I was tossed around! I managed to clamber ashore here, which seems as good a place as any to start my business! This is the thing that saved my life you are purchasing!" He said enthusiastically.

Naito and Link stood there looking at him oddly as he smiled. Naito broke the silence by saying, "Umm… ok… so… how much?"

"Eighty Rupees!" He shouted with glee.

"Oh… I only have thirty." Naito said.

"I'll pay." Link said, stepping forward and dumping the rupees onto the counter.

The man danced with glee, giving him the sail and dancing over to a vault and putting the money inside. The two Links ran away before he could tell them more of his life story.

Back in the boat, they were given a quick tutorial on sailing by the King of Red Lions. Naito set up the sail while Link pushed them out of the cove and into the wind. They picked up speed quickly as Naito angled the sail. Link squatted in the back, working the rudder. Naito stayed up front, holding the neck of the King of Red Lions while adjusting the sail as needed. He also acted as navigator.

"Where are we heading?" Naito asked the boat.

"Dragon Roost Island. There is an item there that will help you get the power you need to defeat Ganon. Just continue east as you are." He replied.

It was smooth sailing all the way. Several hours later they approached an island with what looked like a volcano on it. The King of Red Lions looked up at what looked like a large circular cloud around the peak with concern.

"This is Dragon Roost… I do not like the look of that cloud. Something must be wrong with the guardian spirit, Valoo." He said as Naito rolled down the sail and they coasted towards the sandy shore. He stowed it in the compartment on the boat which also held a compass, clock, and sea chart. Link looked over his shoulder at the sea chart, taking it out. It had two islands on it, Outset and Windfall. He wanted to draw this island, but had no idea where it was, so he put it back.

They hopped out of the boat and began to walk towards the volcano when the King of Red Lions called for them to stop. They looked back. He had something in his mouth; a white, intricately carved conductor's baton.

"This is the Wind Waker. It was once used to call upon the power of the gods, although I am unsure if it still possesses that power. I believe Naito should take it with him." He explained.

Naito stepped forward and took it. He stowed it away, thanking the boat. He then turned and he and Link headed off to scale the mountain. It was actually pretty easy. They followed a winding path up, climbing a couple of rough areas. They encountered a giant rock blocking their progress and Link had no bombs, but he pointed out a bomb flower to Naito, who picked it up and cleared the path. From then on it was a simple path with a guardrail and everything. It led to a large entrance into the mountain. They were about to step inside when Quill, the postman, almost walked into them as he walked out, reading something.

"Oh! Sorry… Well, if it isn't Link! Both Links! You've have traveled far for beings with no wings. Did you rescue your sister?" He asked.

Naito looked down. Quill continued, "I see... don't worry, she'll be fine. In fact, I bet we could help! You should come see our chieftain. Come on, he's just inside."

He turned and walked inside. Naito followed instantly, with Link a second later. He was examining the rito, noticing a certain odd elegance that was vaguely familiar.

The chieftain was just inside, recognizable by his elegant red clothing. He was speaking with someone, who took flight and left. The chieftain looked over, and Quill flew ahead and they had a short conversation that the two Links couldn't hear. He then looked over, and beckoned them closer.

"Quill has told me your story… I am amazed you are not brothers, you look so similar. But that doesn't matter. I know of your plight, and I would like to give you the full cooperation of our people. However… we have our own problems. Our guardian spirit, the great dragon Valoo, has been acting up. He is normally gentle, but he has turned violent and angry. Not only is this wreaking havoc on the mountain, but it means our young ones cannot get their wings, for that requires a scale from his body. We rely on our wings to travel, and if we cannot get them our way of life is threatened. Worst of all, the only one who can speak some of his language, Medli, has gone in the mountain to see him, and we haven't heard from her." He explained.

Quill suddenly leaned over and whispered something into the chieftains ear. His expression turned embarrassed and depressed. "There is another matter to attend to… this involves my son, Komali. See, he is of age to get a scale and gain his wings. But he is weak in some ways, and I fear he will never brave the mountain to obtain it. He doesn't listen to me, but perhaps you, a fellow of his age, can get through to him. Would you do this?" he asked.

Naito nodded. The chieftain pointed to a hallway and said, "His room is there… please talk to him while I try and sort out our problem with Valoo. As soon as this is dealt with, we can be further able to help you."

Naito and Link thanked him and walked away. When they were out of earshot, Link whispered something to Naito, "You should go see Komali, but I have something else to do. Keep it quiet, but I'm going into the mountain. It sounds like this Medli needs help, besides, I may be able to help with Valoo."

"I'm coming too!" Naito exclaimed. Link shook his head.

"You need to help Komali. Besides, it may be dangerous." Link said.

"So? You don't even have a sword!" Naito said.

"I have a two handed one, and lots of other weapons. I'll be fine. If I'm not back in five hours, let someone know where I am." Link said, striding off towards a back door.

Naito glared after him, cursed under his breath, and headed to Komali's room.

**AN: No excitement, I know. Next chapter is dungeon time and it should be good. Please review!**


	6. The First Dungeon

**AN: Whoa, six reviews, good job people!**

**Responses:**

**Gaara-kun39: The wait is over, enjoy the chapter!**

**Outofstategrl: I didn't remember him saying he was watching Link either at first, but after struggling to write his speech I looked it up the script. I stuck fairly close to the game, and he definitely said something about watching him. Thanks for the review, and I don't mind you rambling, I do it too. In fact, I'm doing it now.**

**Anime Wildfire: Wow, you were actually psyched? Hope this turned out good enough. Thanks for the review!**

**Manik T. Hedgehog Hero of Time: The first chapter would of taken place pretty soon after link (supposedly) defeated Ganon in OOT. Thanks for the review!**

**Freakyanimegal456: I update pretty quickly when I'm into a story, but my chapters are also fairly short, so I can't take all credit. Thanks for the review!**

**HaltiOvi: Funny you should mention that, I actually have the deku tree but in my mind for some reason, trying to figure out how it will play out. Thanks for the review!**

Link was outside the entrance to the mountain. He had just climbed up a broken bridge, and was staring inside now. He looked down and saw small footprints leading inside. They were old and barely visible, but they had survived in this area shielded from the wind. They were small, and assuming they belonged to Medli then she must be very young.

He secured his biggoron sword over his shoulder while removing his other sheath, and ran inside. He ran through a long dark area before coming out in a room lit by a torch. He was up on a ledge, looking down at two bokoblins. He pulled out his bow, and shot one between the eyes. The other jumped, and ran over to look at him. Link put an arrow in the back of his neck, taking him out easily.

He hopped down while putting his bow away. He walked ahead through a door and ended up in a massive, circular chamber. This one was lit with the glow of lava, as it was full of it. He was on a ledge that ran around the outside of the room. Every now and then a geyser shot up, spraying lava around dangerously.

He ran along the outside. A keese attacked him, but he ducked and grabbed it out of the air, throwing it against a wall. He used to use his sword on them, but had realized they were really just little bats and he didn't need to bother with weapons.

He turned inward where a bridge spanned the length of the room. He ran across it, hoping no lava would come and hit the bridge. He made it across and looked back, realizing how amazing it was that lava hadn't burned it yet. He turned back and ran ahead, out a cave that led outside. He was on a ledge on the mountain, high above the ocean below. The wind was fairly strong up here. He trekked up the path, the wind howling. Every now and then he heard the roaring of some creature, presumably Valoo.

"Blagh!" Something called out from above. Link looked up a second too late as a bokoblin jumped at him from above, sword raised. He brought his hand up and grabbed its wrist, stopping the sword, but its weight knocked him down and they rolled towards the edge. The stopped there, Link on his back and the creature over him, grappling over the sword. Link threw all his weight to the side and they both fell over the edge. Link reached his hand out lightning quick and snagged the ledge. Just when he seemed to be home-free the bokoblin grabbed his leg, and his grip slipped so that he was holding on by his fingertips. He kicked at the bokoblin with his free leg, but suddenly it bit him! He screamed in pain and released the ledge. They both fell back, the monster now off of him. He fumbled for his hookshot and quickly launched it at the soft dirt and rock of the ledge, knowing he only had one shot…

It pierced and embedded in the ledge. It shifted and nearly dislodged as his full weight was thrown on it, but it held. He retracted it, clambering onto the ledge. He stood up but fell again at the sudden pain in his leg, remembering the bite. He rolled up the brown pant leg to take a look at it. It wasn't bleeding too badly, but an odd green colour was around the wound. Damn. Infection. Just like that time in the coliseum with Elisa…

He had caught it early though, which was good. Monster bites got bad, fast. He took an arrow from his quiver, and dug it into the wound again, gritting his teeth against the pain. Once the blood got flowing, he poured some red potion on it to clean it. It stung like crazy but he fought back a scream.

Afterward he tore of a strip from his tunic sleeve, and wrapped the wound up tight. He hobbled to his feet, taking another swig of red potion. He was out, and had no more on him. He had to be careful not to get injured again. He continued up the path, the pain now subsiding. He resolved to pay more attention from now on.

He passed by a few paths into the mountain, but continued up on instinct. At the summit, the path ended and he turned and walked through the open gate beside him. There was a wide circular area with a rocky wall all around. On the other side was a young rito girl with red hair, inside a cell. Above the cell, on the peak of the mountain, Valoo was raging, spewing streams of fire into the air. In front of the cell were two high ranking green bokoblins, just like the one he had saved Naito from. They had big swords and wooden shields.

Link drew his biggoron sword, and got into a fighting stance.

About an hour earlier, as Link headed off into the mountain, Naito turned towards the hall leading to Komali. He muttered something about Link not taking him, and ran down the hall to a door at the end. He just about opened it, but stopped himself and knocked instead.

"Screw off!" Yelled a voice inside. Naito took this as an invitation and opened the door. It was a small room with a bed in the middle, and on that bed was a young rito boy. He was caressing an orange pearl on his stomach, and glared moodily at Naito. "What do you want?" he growled.

Naito stepped forward, unsure of how to proceed. "Your father sent me… he thought maybe you'd want to talk to me."

Komali snorted. "Why would I wasted my time with that? Easy for you to say, you don't have to approach that vicious beast! Why are you even here? Quite a nosy little brat aren't you?"

"Hey, you're no older than me! Don't talk to me about bravery, I've already done more than you'll ever do in your whole miserably life!" Naito snapped, losing his temper.

"Well, why don't YOU try and deal with Valoo!?" Komali retorted.

"Maybe I will!" Link yelled, turning on his heels and walking out. That could have gone better… He wasn't kidding when he said he would though, and he walked out the same door Link had left through, heading to the mountain.

Meanwhile, way up near the peak of Valoo's mountain, Link was in fierce combat with the two bokoblins. He was moving around as much as possible, vulnerable without a shield. He parried an attack, and slashed back. It blocked with its shield, which shattered on impact. The bokoblin was unharmed though. Link back flipped as they both slashed, and used a jump attack. They both jumped to opposite sides and swung down at him. He raised his sword and blocked both of their weapons, all three locked above their heads. He pushed up with all of his strength, throwing them off balance and using a spin attack. It cleaved right through one, killing it, but the other managed to step back to safety.

Link surprised it with Din's fire, and it burned to death. He sighed in relief and began walking over towards the cell. He sheathed his sword when suddenly there was a loud THUMP behind him. He spun around just in time to have the blunt end of a spear slammed into his forehead. He flew back and crumpled unconscious.

The moblin grinned stupidly. It raised its spear, advancing on Link. It raised its spear up, stopping suddenly. It was fairly hungry, and meat was the best when it was fresh… perhaps Ganon wouldn't mind if he ate it?

While the creature began its internal debate about just killing him or eating him, Link Naito crept up behind it, sword drawn. The moblin finally raised its spear up, but it was a second too late. Naito leapt onto its back, plunging his sword in between its shoulder blades. It screeched like a pig, tottering where it stood. Naito yanked it back so it wouldn't fall on Link, and rolled out of the way as it came crashing down. His first kill… granted it wasn't a one on one fight, but it boosted his confidence.

He ran over to Link, and checked that he was breathing. He seemed alright aside from a large purple bruise on his forehead. He then ran over to Medli, who called out to him. He also grabbed a key from a dead bokoblin's belt, noticing the lock on the cell. He ran over and unlocked the door.

"Thank you! Did you guys come to rescue me? Wait, come on, we have to help him!" She exclaimed, running over to Link. They noticed a bright gold light shining from under his left gauntlet, and his eyes shot open. The glow died down. He hopped to his feet amazingly quickly for someone who had been out cold mere seconds ago.

"I assume you helped me? Thanks Naito." Link said, looking down at them, His forehead was bleeding a bit, but he seemed not to notice.

"Wow Mr., are you really alright? Most people who get hit that hard are lucky to live!" Medli exclaimed.

"I'm fine. You are Medli I assume?" Link asked.

"At your service!" She said enthusiastically, bowing slightly. "What are your names?"

"Link." Link stated.

"Same here, but just call me Naito." Little Link said.

"Hee hee! You guys look like brothers! But whatever… sorry this, is serious I know. Look, I assume you guys see the raging dragon behind me." She said, sounding serious suddenly.

"Believe it or not, I noticed it." Naito said sarcastically as it let out another earth-shattering roar.

"Ugh, grow up." She said reproachfully, before continuing, "I know why he is so mad. There's a monster underneath the chamber he is in, and he's harming Valoo's tail! Can either of you stop it?"

"That's half the reason I'm here. Can you guide us there?" Link asked.

"Yeah, but one of you'll need this." She said, holding out a grappling hook. Link, who had too much crap as it was, let Naito take it.

"Alright, you'll have to share sometimes. Follow me." She said, taking flight back along the way the two Links had come. They ran after her without a second thought.

She led them down for a short while, before guiding them into one of the tunnels that led inside the mountain. They followed the winding path, which led into a large room. It was the circular main chamber from before, but they were way higher up. They were on a little ledge, and if they fell it was a long drop into lava. Across the room was another ledge. Medli flew over to it, and yelled back, "Use the grappling hook!"

Naito and Link looked up, noticing a horizontal bar up at the roof. Naito took out the grappling hook, and began swinging it like a pro. Link noticed this with some surprise. The kid seemed to have the same talent with new equipment as him. He threw it up, missing by a couple feet. He reeled it back in and tried again, this time dead on. Link grabbed the rope too, and they jumped. They swung over, and a sharp tug released the grapple and they landed safely on the other side.

This ledge had a long path with a staircase at the end. The staircase curled around 180 degrees as they climbed, and they came out in a room above the hall they were just in. The room was oval shaped, and empty except for a weird centipede creature, but huge and flaming. It had a single blue eye which contrasted its fiery orange look. Naito drew his weapons. Link drew a bow instead, knowing what to do instinctively. Years of fighting monsters had made it second nature. He infused his arrow with ice, surprising both Medli and Naito. His shit flew straight and true, striking the creature's eye. It closed its pinchers and curls up into a ball.

Naito took over here, charging forward. He leapt into the air and came down, sword poised to strike. He planted it into the creature, which exploded as he jumped off. Link gave a congratulatory nod, and the trio moved on. They stood in front of a giant door.

"In there?" Link asked.

Medli nodded. Link sighed, and said, "I want you two to go back and tell everyone what's happening."

Medli nodded, but Naito yelled "No way!"

"Look, I-" Link began, but Naito cut him off.

"No, you look. I saved your life from that moblin earlier. After making at all the way to the top. I grappled us over here, and finished that monster. I'm not useless. Let me come in too."

Link surprised him by nodding. "You're right. I was younger than you when I first fought. Medli, you can get back right?" He asked.

She nodded, running off. Link extended his hand to Naito, who shook it. He then opened the door, and the two entered the chamber within…

**AN: I actually had a lot of fun writing this chapter… anyway, please review!**


	7. Din's Pearl

**AN: Longest boss fight I've ever written. Just thought I'd share that. I still only think it's only average though, which is a good word for the whole chapter.**

**Responses:**

**Gaara-kun39: Yep, Naito finally gets some of the spotlight. I imagine he'll be good for some comic relief every now and then, OOT Link is too serious.**

**Anime Wildfire: Thanks for the review!**

**Outofstategrl: Again, sorry about grossing you out… I just hope you'll bear with me. Thanks for the review!**

**Halomasterchief: I have to say, I don't really know what you mean by OOT Link having few memories… he knows Ganondorf, He knew what happened before he was sent here… I know I never saw much of a resemblance between the rito and zora, so I didn't think he would. But he noticed something familiar about them. For your next question, he doesn't know who the King of Red Lions is. Thanks for the review; it's always nice to see another reviewer.**

**Linkfangirl01: Wow, if all you ask is that I update this year, I'm guessing it will be easy to keep you happy. I update twice a week sometimes. Thanks for the review!**

**Freakyanimegal456: Thanks for reviewing!**

They stepped into the chamber, which was a circular room with a circular pit of lava in the centre. Naito was about to charge in full speed, but Link grabbed the back of his shirt and yanked him back with enough force to give him whiplash. He shook his head slowly, and stepped in quietly.

Link walked in slowly looking all around. He recognized a monster's lair any day; he saw plenty of them over his lifetime. He looked up, making sure nothing was hanging from the ceiling. There was nothing, but he saw what could only be Valoo's tail, red with a few yellow spines. It hung down through a hole in the roof. Knowing there could only be one place left for the monster Medli spoke of to hide, He backed up the outside. Naito followed. He drew an arrow, infused it with ice, and fired it into the pit of lava. A portion of it turned to rock and a large roar sounded throughout the chamber.

Naito's eyes widened. Link drew his biggoron sword, and Naito looked at him before doing the same. Suddenly the lava rose up and splashed out to the sides, and the rocky portion shattered. It bubbled and frothed, finally giving way to a gigantic bug-like monster. It had a single blue eye, and six legs all in the air as it reared up from the lava pit. Two large arms with praying mantis-like claws waved around up near its head. It vaguely resembled the giant flaming centipede from outside. Naito gasped, Link simply stared at it with steely determination.

It slammed a claw down at them. The two Links rolled in opposite directions and it got stuck in the ground. Link jumped on the claw and ran up its arm, hoping to get a shot at the eye. It turned to look at him, and spewed a fireball at him. He yelled in surprise, and it blew him right off the creature. He rolled as he hit the ground, extinguishing the fire.

The monster lunged at him with its head, and Link thrust his biggoron sword forward. It stopped short before impaling itself, rearing back up. Naito threw his grappling hook at its eye, hoping to hurt it. Instead, at lowered a bony eyelid over its eye, protecting it. The grappling hook bounced off uselessly as it turned to look at him. It began charging a fireball.

Link ran in from the side and tackled him out of the way, and the charged fireball incinerated the ground behind them. "That eyelid is part of its armour!" Link shouted, noticing that the entire bug was covered by bony, yellowish armour.

"Can't you break it?" Naito asked.

"I'll try." Link responded, dodging a claw swipe. He drew his megaton hammer, staring the monster down. It slammed a claw down, and he gracefully stepped sideways, leaping onto it as before. He ran up, jumping over a small fireball. As he reached the shoulder, he brought his hammer crashing down, using all his strength and momentum…

CRACK! A jarring bolt of pain went up his arm, and all he got for his effort was the tiniest chip of bone coming off. The monster shook its arm, and he was hurled off. He managed to right himself as he landed to avoid breaking his neck. He and Naito regrouped.

"So it's invincible?" Naito asked.

"No monster is invincible." Link looked up at the ceiling. The rocky area around the tail looked weak… perhaps he could cave in part of the ceiling? It would be risky, but they had no choice. "I have a plan. I'll distract it. Grapple onto the tail and swing, move it around as much as possible, then jump to safety."

Naito didn't question him. As Link ran off, firing a few arrows at the bony eyelid, Naito began swinging his grappling hook. He threw once and missed, pulling it back before it could get the monsters attention. He threw again, and it hit the tail but didn't catch. "Come on…" He muttered, throwing it again. Success! It wrapped around the tail, catching on a spine. He jumped and scrambled up the rope so as not to hit the monster, and began to swing.

Meanwhile, Link had just dodged another fireball. He ducked under one, and as he came up the monster slammed a claw down at him. He raised his big sword instinctively, and it slammed down on it. He was pushed back until he was against the wall, but he managed to hold it off above his head. He and the monster stared at each other, muscles straining until there was a loud rumbling sound. Both he and the monster slowly looked up. Naito was swinging, and some dust began to fall from above. The kid jumped, and a large ring of rock fell down. It shattered on the monster and it instantly stopped struggling with Link, rearing up and screaming. Cracks had appeared all over its exoskeleton, spidering out all over before it all shattered at once, leaving its black flesh unprotected.

Naito jumped once in triumph as link ran over to join him. Link drew his hookshot, but put it away after realizing the even if he grappled up there, he had to hold the hookshot with one hand, and then couldn't use his sword because it required two.

The monster breathed a large stream of fire at them. Link bolted, Naito close behind. This time Naito got the idea. "Link, I'm going to try and pull its eye closer. I need your extra weight, hold on to the grappling hook with me!"

Link nodded as they skidded to a stop. Naito drew his grappling hook, swinging it as the monster turned to look at them. He threw it, and the claw dug into the top of the eye. Link grabbed the rope quickly, and pulled. The monster screamed and pulled the other way, but Link had put on the iron boots before hand. He hadn't had time to put on the golden gauntlets, but he always wore the silver and they did just fine. He heaved, his muscles hurting and arms feeling stretched. Naito barely registered, almost being lifted off the ground. Link finally won out, and the monster's head was slammed against the floor in front of them. Naito let go of the rope and drew his sword while Link held it down. Naito slashed three times, finishing with a powerful stab right into the center of the eye. Link idly noticed it looked something like his final stab against Ganon, and smiled slightly.

That creature rose up and shrieked in agony, forcing the two Links to cover their ears. It began to burn up, suddenly exploding into purple fire. They eye flew through the air, hitting the ground and exploding. The lava began to cool, as Naito jumped for joy and Link rubbed his sore biceps. A wind kicked up, blowing towards the middle of the room.

Link and Naito followed the wind, stopping in the center of the room. The wind circled around them, and they both vanished.

Meanwhile, at the bottom of the mountain, Medli was explaining what had happened in the mountain to the chieftain. Suddenly they heard a faint shriek from the top of the mountain. Valoo's cries of rage subsided. They all looked up, and saw the clouds around their island breaking up.

Link appeared on the beach, near the boat. He looked around for Naito, but could not see him.

"Where is the young one? Naito?" The boat said with concern.

Link shrugged, "He was right with me!"

"Find him!" The boat commanded, and Link took off back towards the mountain. He yelled out Naito's name, looking all around.

"I'm over here!" Naito shouted. Link spun and saw Naito emerging from a tunnel and out onto the beach. Link ran back to him.

"Where were you?" Link asked.

"I dunno. Portal dropped me off by this blue stone, and I learned a song for that baton thing. Then a wind god told me I could control the wind with it." He said.

Link stared at him. "Umm… where were you really?"

"I'm not kidding! Watch." Naito said, drawing the baton. He swished it up, then to his left, then to the right. A heavenly voice sang along, seeming to emanate from above them. His eyes looked glassy suddenly, and he thrust the baton to the north. A golden light spiraled from the bottom to the tip, and the wind, which had been blowing east, shifted all of a sudden to where he was pointing. Alertness returned to his eyes.

Link was surprised, although not in awe. He himself knew a few magical tunes. He and Naito walked back to the boat, who watched them with some relief. As they arrived, they heard Medli's voice call out to them.

"Hey! Don't leave yet!" She called out.

They turned to see her and Komali standing there. Komali was looking down, and holding that large orange sphere, and Medli was standing there cheerily. "Komali has something to say!" She shouted.

"I… I wanted to apologize to you." He said, addressing Naito. "I was being a jerk. I'm going to be brave like you, and get the best pair of wings ever!" he said, brightening up as he went.

Naito smiled and said, "Don't worry about it."

"Look… I want you to have this. My grandma gave it to me, but I don't need it anymore." He said, offering his orb.

"Are you sure." Big Link asked as Naito took it and examined it.

He nodded. Then, to Link's great surprise, Valoo spoke. He had a rumbly voice, and spoke ancient Hylian, but he was definitely speaking. "O great Heroes! Thank you! Gather the three pearls!" he said, while Naito looked on in confusion.

Medli gave them a translation, which Link noticed was a little off. Clearly ancient Hylian was no longer spoken, but that didn't surprise Link. It had been a dying language even in his time. The King of red Lions, who had been quiet up to this point, spoke up now. "Valoo is right. That is Din's Pearl, and there are two more. Gathering them is our only option. But if Ganon has sent monsters here, he will not stop. Hurry! We sail to the south."

Medli and Komali said good bye, heading back to their home. Naito once again played the Wind's Requiem, guiding the wind to the south, and they boarded the boat. Just as they were about to set sail, a blue fish with a very human-like face jumped into the boat. It looked up at the two Links, who were staring at it in complete shock.

"'Hoy, small fries! What? Never seen a fish-man before? Well get over it, we're all over this god-forsaken ocean. Look, I'm gonna be blunt. Your sea chart is the most pathetic piece of mouldy old parchment I've ever seen. It's a disgrace." He said, eyeing the chart in the open storage compartment.

The two Links stared at him. A fish jumping into their boat and insulting their sea chart had temporarily robbed them of the ability to speak.

"Don't look at me like that! God, how old are you, three? I'm just letting you know. I'm only trying to help. Look, I'll fill this island in for you as a gesture of good faith!" he said, drawing a little paint brush from out of no where it seemed. He dipped it in their ink from the compartment, and quickly drew in a labeled sketch of Dragon Roost Island.

"Well? Any thank you? Fine. Jerks." He said, hopping out of the boat. "I'll tell the other fish-men to do the same if they see you."

"To be honest, I'd rather not have random fish jumping in and insulting me." Naito finally said.

The fish shook his fin at him, and submerged. He popped his head back out suddenly and said to the boat, "Oi! You! Kingly red lion guy! That's it! I've paid my debt!" and then went back under after delivering this cryptic message.

Link looked at the chart. Naito's little quips aside, Link thought it would be a good idea to have a chart. He always had a map of Hyrule with him before, and it would be even easier to get lost here with fewer landmarks.

Finally, with no further interruptions, they hoisted the sail and cruised off towards the next leg of their journey.

**AN: I know, not great. Try and think back to the marginally better boss fight and find the inspiration to leave a review, possibly with suggestions.**


	8. The Forest

**AN: Hmm… three reviews? I am displeased… As punishment, you get this shorter-than-usual chapter.**

**Responses:**

**Freakyanimegal: Yeah, for some reason the deku tree seem has been on my mind since the beginning… you'll just have to read on and see.**

**Gaara-kun39: I though the battle scene was bad, but I read it again and it was alright. So thanks for the review!**

**Outofstategrl: Thanks for the review; I'm glad you liked it!**

"What's that?" Naito questioned, pointing towards the horizon. He pulled out a telescope, unfolding it and peering out ahead of them.

He saw a ship about four times as large as their boat. It was a little higher out of the water, with a large symbol on the sail and the flag on top. It seemed to be heading for them.

"Let me see." Link asked, holding his hand out.

Naito passed him the telescope. He looked through, focusing on the ship. It had a single cannon on each side, and was manned by five bokoblins. That was no problem, but he saw something else more frightening. The symbol on the sail was the symbol Ganondorf had taken as his own during his reign of terror. It featured a black Gerudo symbol which translated roughly into "power" in the centre of a red triforce. It made sense that he would use it here, as it would be meaningless to the casual observer these days.

Worse, it had seen them and was heading out to intercept.

"What is it?" Naito asked.

"Ganon's." Link said simply. The blood drained from Naito's face. Link wasn't frightened, however. He knew it was no real threat, and Ganon had only sent it to warn him, and remind him of his presence. _Clearly even after all these years he still remembers me, _Link thought, remembering Ganon's expression when they had been attacked by the bird. He hadn't seemed surprised by Link's presence.

"What do we do?" Naito asked.

"Cruise by it full speed, but as close as possible. Don't stop. I'll handle the rest." Link said, crouching back to the rudder. His hand went to his sword. He looked at the boat, watching it approach. It was slowing down, and the bokoblins were arming the cannons. One of them was shouting something.

Twenty meters between them. It had turned to face them with the cannon, and fired. It splooshed into the water nearby. They held their course. Ten meters between them. Link tensed his legs, judging the distance between them and the enemy. His hand tightened on his sword. They cruised by with about two meters between them, and Link sprang. He drew his sword in midair and landed on the edge of the boat beside the cannon. He swung his sword in a great ark, slashing two unaware bokoblins. One of them fell of the boat and drowned, while the other fell back and died there.

Two bokoblins charged at him, with the captain shouting encouragement to them. They both wielded wooden sticks, further proof that this wasn't a serious attack. They both swung down at him, and he rolled forward, spinning as he stood. They both dodged, but one of them slipped backwards and into the water. Link performed a flying kick on the other one, surprising and it throwing it over the edge as well. He spun to take the captain, but froze when he saw it aiming a bow at him.

"We weren't supposed to kill you… but I don't think Lord Ganon will mind." It snarled, firing the arrow.

Link cried out in pain. The arrow had gone straight through his shoulder. He fell back on the ground, gritting his teeth against the pain. He dropped his sword, moving his hand to the wound. He touched it and hissed against the fresh wave of agony.

The bokoblin was laughing, with another arrow nocked. He stood over Link, pointing the arrow right at his forehead.

"Hyaa!" Came a high pitched scream. Both the monster and Link raised their heads, Link hissing again at the pain. Naito had landed on the ship, and was charging forward with his sword and shield drawn. The bokoblin raised the bow and fired, but it thudded into Naito's shield, knocking him off balance for a moment but not stopping him. He leaped over Link with his sword behind him and brought it down clumsily. The bokoblin stepped to the side, but the blade still left a gash in its arm, rendering it useless.

It dropped the bow, drawing a scimitar with its good arm. It stepped towards Naito and brought it down quickly at him, but he surprised it with a parry he had perfected with Orca. He rolled to the side avoiding the blade, and jumped up behind it with his sword spinning. The bokoblin fell forward, dead. Link, who was starting to feel woozy, also noticed how similar that was to a move he used. It wasn't the first similarity he had noticed in their fighting style.

"You're bleeding!" Naito explained, eyes widening.

"Yeah, I noticed." Link said, crawling to the edge of the ship. The boat was fairly close by, so he half jumped, half fell into it. He cried out in pain at the bolt of pain in his shoulder. He crawled to the back of the boat to look at the arrow. The edges had been barbed, and it left quite a messy wound. He tried to move it, and almost blacked out from the pain. He had been shot in the leg before, in a coliseum, but that arrow hadn't been nearly as bad.

"Don't move that!" The King of Red Lions said. His voice seemed to be coming from far away, and Link noticed the world getting blurry. He blacked out seconds later.

"Is he ok?" Naito asked, hopping into the boat.

"We'll see. Hurry south, the forest we are heading to will have medicine." The boat replied. Naito nodded, again hoisting the sail and continuing their journey.

"_Do you understand why you are here?"_

"_No!" Link said, looking around. He was floating in the sky, looking down at Hyrule as it had been before the flood. _

"_Do you see what happened?"_

_Water began pouring down from the sky, first as rain, but it soon turned into a torrential downpour. Link flew over Hyrule, moved by an unforeseen force. He saw many people with bags slung over their backs climbing the great mountains of Hyrule. _

"_We had no choice…we had to bury the land we had created in order to keep it from falling under His control…"_

_The pouring rain became sheets of water, flooding the rivers. He saw people below crushed by it, swept up and carried away, some pulled under. Houses were destroyed. He saw Lon-Lon ranch briefly, flooded entirely. His eyes were wide with shock. How could the goddesses do this?_

"_We told many to flee to the mountain tops… they are now the islands. But we did not give up hope entirely."_

_Link saw the colour being drained from the world, the effect he had seen inside the castle. He was guided down, zooming in on the castle. He floated down through the roof, and saw himself fighting with the Hylian knights. He saw the colour leave the area, freezing it all._

"_The land remains in limbo. You were not there by accident. As painful as it is for you, we needed you later. We freed you now, as the time is right. You are to guide the newest hero to his destiny, aiding him where needed._

_Link looked around. "Will I ever get to go back?" He called out. No one answered. "WELL?" he yelled out. But the world was already dissolving before his eyes…_

He awoke with a start. He sat up, feeling a sharp pain in his shoulder. This reminded him off all that had happened. He looked down and saw that the arrow had been removed, and the wound bandaged. He saw the arrow broken in two pieces, lying in a bowl nearby. He looked around. He was in a small cave, with several plants growing out of the grass he was sitting on. There was a cauldron of medicine nearby over a fire.

He got to his feet, his wound protesting. He managed it anyway, and left the cave. The first thing that caught his attention was a giant tree in the middle of the area he was in. He was presumably on an island, but it seemed to be an impossibly big tree hollowed out, as there was wood surrounding the island. If that were true, it made the tree in the middle look like nothing.

He walked along, around the outside. He saw Naito up ahead, talking with something small. He ran over, and the little thing turned to look at him. It appeared to be made of wood, with a leaf over its face. It had little stubby wooden arms and legs. As soon as it saw him, it sank into the leaves as if frightened. But as soon as it got a good look at hi, it popped back out, staring in awe it seemed.

"You… The others won't remember you, but I do." It said.

Link didn't know what to say. He had never seen anything like this in his life.

"I am a member of the Koroks. My name is Mido." He said.

"Mido..?" Link breathed.

"The Deku Tree told me the truth about you… Link. I am flattered that you still wear our old clothes." He said.

"Woah, hold on! You know each other?" Naito exclaimed.

Link nodded slowly. He had forgotten that the Kokiri were immortal. His only link with the old world… unless you counted Ganondorf. He looked up to see the giant tree had a face, and was looking at him. He ran over to it.

"Great Deku Tree?!" He yelled. Naito watched him strangely.

The tree spoke in the ancient Hylian language, and said, "You are… Link… are you not? Yes… you allowed me to grow, a thousand years ago by freeing the forest temple."

**AN: I have to finish here. Everything else requires planning, and deserves it own chapter. PLEASE review, even if you want to point out something you don't like, or how I can improve. It'd be nice to get at least five…**


	9. Sword of Earth

**AN: Umm… no news…**

**Responses:**

**Gaara-kun39: Glad you liked it, thanks for the review!**

**Outofstategrl: Wow, I'm a bit flattered that you called my story a "masterpiece" and "work of art." I'm not complaining of course. Anyway, I swear I didn't actually make that chapter short out of spite; it just turned out that way! I was only being a jerk when I said it was a punishment. Thanks for the review! **

**Anime Wildfire: Glad your feeling better; I can't blame you for being sick. Thanks for the review.**

**Col - Remy's girl: Thanks for the review, nice to see someone new!**

"Great Deku Tree! Great Deku Tree!!!!" A voice shouted from above.

Link looked up. A Korok was gliding down on a leaf propeller, hovering in front of the Deku tree.

"What is it, Leddnar?" The Deku Tree asked.

"It's Makar! Makar! We… we were flying outside, and I know we aren't supposed to but we went near the Forbidden Woods! And Makar flew over it, and fell inside! I tried to go after him but the monsters chased me away!" Leddnar explained.

"THE FORBIDDEN WOODS!" The Great Deku Tree roared.

Naito had run over, and was standing beside Link. "Can we help?" He asked, rather out of character.

"I'm afraid if you want the pearl, you must. He is integral to the ritual, and the world is doomed if we cannot make more trees. We cannot give up the pearl until we have completed the ceremony. You cannot enter the forest on your own though… it is high up on a nearby island, with a sheer cliff to all sides. You would have to fly in…" He replied.

"Maybe you haven't noticed, but neither of us can sprout wings on a whim." Naito commented.

Link gave him a small kick, and said "Do you know of a way to get us in?"

"Naito, yes. But not you. I can sprout a magic leaf for Naito, but I am afraid you would be a bit too heavy, Link." The tree explained. When he was done, he suddenly looked as though he were concentrating very hard. With a roar, a beam of light shone up from one of his branches. When it died down, there was a leaf very different from the rest up there, surrounded by a green glow.

"Hmm… my strength is waning… Forgive me, but can you climb up and get it?" The tree asked.

Naito sighed and nodded, heading off to the back of the tree where branches were lower. Link had been looking at the tree, and finally asked the question on his mind. "I know this is a peaceful place, but I also know you have great knowledge. Is there a sword in or near this forest, anywhere? I… I lost mine."

"Hmm… perhaps. It is inside of me, but surely I can grant access to you, the Hero of Time. There will be a test, but it should not challenge you. The Sword of Earth will be you reward if you are successful. Will that do?" He asked.

Link nodded. The Deku Tree opened his mouth, and a wooden tongue lowered, creating a ramp up and in. Link strode forward, up and in. The mouth slammed shut behind him, and he was plunged into darkness.

A green light appeared. A sweet voice emanated from it, a voice Link knew anywhere. "You seek the Sword of Earth? It has been a long time since any have dared… I am the spirit of Saria, the sage of the forest."

"Saria?" Link asked, but it continued without listening and he realized it was a recording of sorts.

"You must prove your worth… play the song of the ancient forest temple to begin the test."

Link drew the Ocarina of Time, which Zelda never asked him to give back upon his return from Termina. He looked at it with a fresh wave of homesickness, but ignored it and began to play the upbeat "Minuet of Forest."

A chime he heard often in temples rang out. "Your test begins…"

The green light changed, floating up and increasing in brightness, illuminating the entire chamber with an eerie green light. Link drew his biggoron sword slowly. He took a tentative step forward.

SMACK! Something big hit him from the side, knocking him over. The unseen force picked him up, and tossed him to the other side of the room. He rolled to his feet, only to get smack down again. He looked all over, slowly reaching into his bag of equipment. He drew the lens of truth, jamming the red side to his eye. This was the side for allowing him to see the invisible, the blue on revealed illusions.

There was a hand floating. His first thought was Bongo Bongo, but the hand was brown like a floormaster. It was also seemed to be growing patches of grass, and had vines all over its fingers. It was slightly bigger than the average floormaster, and seemed able to float all over at will.

It flew at him suddenly. He tried to dodge, but it slapped him and the lens of truth flew across the room. Link swore, getting to his feet and drawing his sword. At least he knew what he was up against. He closed his eyes, focusing his sensitive ears.

A sound from the left. He spun and slashed out, grazing the hand. Green blood trickled out, revealing a bit of it. The problem was green blood was still hard to see in the green light, but it was a start.

He kept his sharp eyes on the floating wound, holding his sword ready. The hand charged at him suddenly, and he thrust at it. It shot above him with amazing agility, and came slamming down. He rolled forward, and spun as it charged again. Link ran and slid forward, slicing his sword in a powerful arch upwards. He sliced a finger clean off, and it fell to the ground, bursting into flame.

The hand seemed unfazed. I charged again, and Link pulled out his last trick. Din's fire caught the rest of the monster, and it flew around erratically before exploding against a wall. Link gave his sword a mighty twirl, sheathing it.

"Well done… you have defeated the forest hand. You are surely no ordinary swordsman… the Sword of Earth is yours."

A ray of light shot down from the floating orb, and hit the ground. It faded away, revealing a hole. Link stepped forward and hopped down.

He was in a smaller chamber. There was no source of light, but he could see fine. The room was empty except for a pedestal on a raised area in the centre. A sword was in the pedestal, with a brown hilt. The cross guard was shaped like a long diamond on its side, and the pommel was without a doubt the spiritual stone of the forest. Link would recognize it anywhere. The whole sword was overgrown with vines.

He stepped up to it, placing his hands on the grip. With a single tug and a brief flash of green light, it came free. The vines slid off like dead snakes. He held it up, examining it better. The blade was shiny silver, but it seemed to have a green tint when he looked at it just right. It also had the symbol of the forest sage carved into both sides of the blade, near the hilt.

He gave it three short swings, raising it up. It was definitely a good sword.

"That sword was forged within the lost woods… use it well." Saria's voice said. As soon as it finished, the room around Link faded away, and he appeared back in front of the Deku Tree.

Naito was there too. "About time… I was about to go in there after you." He said.

"Hmm. Did either of you think of a way for me to get inside?" Link asked.

"Yes. I have a simple solution. I'll get a bunch of the Koroks to carry you across." The tree explained.

Link nodded. "We will leave, but first I must teach Naito something."

Naito looked at him questioningly. Link guided him away before speaking. "As soon as I saw you I knew you had magic in you… I'm going to try and teach you how to use it… I was taught by a Great Fairy, but that's obviously not convenient. I'll have to do."

"Magic?" Naito asked.

Link nodded. "It isn't hard as long as you have it. Just close your eyes focus on everything inside you. You heartbeat, your breathing, your thoughts… everything. You will feel it, somewhere in your very soul."

Link himself did it, finding it, a concentration of energy. He opened his eyes to see Naito with his brow furrowed, trying it. Suddenly his eyes shot open. "What was that!?" he yelled.

"That was it, probably. You just have to tap into that. To practice, I'm going to teach you the spin attack." Link said, "Just hold your sword in a comfortable position, and find that energy. Will it to move down you arm, and into your sword."

He acted it out, resting his sword behind him and urging the power into his blade. It glowed bright orange. Naito mimicked him, standing for quite a while with nothing happening. Eventually a dull orange glow came off of his sword, surprising him. He spun with it, unleashing a small wave of energy.

Link nodded. "Careful, it will deplete your magic. It recharges over time. I would teach you more, but we have to go. Just remember your magic."

Naito nodded, listening intently now. They headed back to the Great Deku Tree, who got seven Koroks to guide them. They were led through a tunnel which led out to a ledge high above the ocean. The two Links looked out at the dark island in the distance.

A Korok spoke up, saying, "Alright. You, the smaller one. You have to hold the leaf above you and jump, it will carry you across. We're going to carry the big guy."

Naito looked out. At least if he fell, it was soft water. Without pausing to think, he gripped the leaf and jumped. To his surprise, it flared to a much larger size and caught the wind. He glided along at good speed. The Koroks wasted no time, flying around Link. They all grabbed something, arms, legs, torso, and lifted off. They flew forward, almost plummeting but managing to hold him up. Link sound this surprising, as they themselves weighed next to nothing.

They dropped a bit too low, but an updraft gave them the boost they needed to make it to the edge of the forest island. Link thanked them, and they flew back. Naito had been waiting for a while. Together they stood at the edge, looking at the dense forest ahead. A foul wind blew, as if foreshadowing death. The very mood of the forest was melancholy and depressed. Link gripped his sword hilt, reassuring himself, and together they strode into the unknown.

**AN: I know it seems a bit rushed at the end, but I had to get all this done. Back to fun stuff next chapter I hope. PLEASE REVIEW!**


	10. The Forbiddon Woods

**AN: Ouch… sorry it took so long, laziness on my part. Seven reviews though, new record for this story, so thanks everyone.**

**Responses:**

**Outofstategrl: I'm trying to cram in as many… "Cameos" as I can without being goofy, so you'll have to wait and see if there are more. Thanks for reviewing!**

**Gaara-kun39: Ha ha, those hands scared me too! I beat OOT in like, grade 4, and I was always scared to go in a temple because I might find those hands. To be honest, I still haven't really gotten over my fear…**

**Anime Wildfire: Hmm… you'll have to wait and see if he finds out or not… Thanks for the review!**

**HaltiOvi: I noticed it too. Its like if anything CAN go wrong around them, it will. Thanks for the review.**

**Simbiot2.0: Heh. Could have been quicker….**

**Freakyanimegal: Hmm… I'm glad!**

"Don't… move… a muscle." Link said, slowly reaching for his sword. They had barely been in the forest for ten minutes when they came into a clearing, and as soon as they were in the middle, ten boko babas had sprouted in a circle around them. Link and Naito stood back to back as the vicious plants drooled green saliva all around them.

Link grabbed his sword, sliding it slowly from its scabbard. The plants were swaying and hissing, seeming to communicate. Without warning, They all struck as one. Link hit the floor, dragging Naito with him. The monsters slammed heads, rearing back. Link sprung to his feet and hopped forward, thrusting his sword through one. It fell to the ground rotting at an incredible rate.

The rest got enraged. They all snapped at Link and Naito, who guarded furiously. Link parried them away, hacking two right off the stems. He rolled forward into the ring of them and used Din's fire as he got to his feet, burning four. Naito back flipped away from the fire, dispatching one with three well placed strikes. Another lunged at him and he flipped over its head, slashing beneath himself as he went. Its plant head peeled away in two rotting layers. He performed a quick spin as he landed, taking out the final.

Link sheathed his sword nonchalantly. Naito looked around in shock, surprised at how easily he had fought them. He also sheathe his sword, a bit clumsily.

"I've never seen so many hide so well… this is clearly their forest." Link said, more to himself than Naito. Without another word, he strode off deeper into the forest. Naito hurried after him.

"How are we supposed to find what's-his-name in a forest this big?" Naito asked.

"Don't worry about it." Link said without looking at him.

"Should we leave some sort of trail so we can find our way back?"

"Nothing to leave a trail with."

"At least I'm trying! I suppose our almighty plan is to wander aimlessly through the forest until we starve?"

"Can you shut up for thirty seconds?" Link snapped.

He did. Link was watching the ground very carefully for Makar's tracks. So far all he had managed to find out is that there were more dangerous beasts in this forest than anywhere else he had been. He only recognized wolfos prints, but the others didn't look pleasant.

As if to drive this point home, a huge moth-like creature glided overhead, spewing a trail of fire along behind it.

"That just isn't fair." Naito said calmly. Link drew his bow, aiming it skyward. The giant moth had ceased spewing fire, and was doing a U-turn in midair while angling itself towards them. Naito fumbled for his weapons, finally drawing them.

Link's arrow burst in flame. He steadied it, drawing the string tight. The moth was not coming straight for him, picking up speed. It was once again trailing fire. It had one big, blue eye, which was staring right at Link. That was where he was aiming.

Link released it. The arrow flew up, but the moth showed surprising agility, diving down lower. The arrow sizzled overhead, almost touching the hairs on its back. It put on a burst of speed, closing the gap between it and Link in no time. Link barely had time to put up his shield and plant his feet. It blew him backward, and he slid on his back along the dirt floor. The moth did a quick loop, flying at him again. This time it was coming from almost above. His shield wouldn't do much good.

Naito came from the side, leaping onto its side and planting his sword deep into it. It screeched and jerked shakily upward, now trailing fire and yellow blood. Link rose to his feet, watching the monster fly up with Naito clinging onto his sword for life. He swore, looking around. He would kill for some rope… and a spear. He briefly considered a vine and an arrow, but that was just ridiculous.

The monster flipped in midair, heading straight down. Naito almost puked from the sudden change in direction. He scrambled onto its back, forcing his sword in deeper while clutching its wiry fur with his other hand. _This is insane _he thought as the beast plummeted down vertically. He held himself close to its body, so as not to get blown off by the wind. He looked down through squinted eyes. The trees were getting close now, must have been about fifty meters between them and the ground. Was the moth committing suicide?

Link scrambled up a tree, perching himself on the highest branch possible. He drew his hookshot, watching the moth. He couldn't tell if it was in control or not. If it was out of control, then this was a long shot.

Just when it was in range, it pulled up amazingly quickly. Link was almost pushed out of the tree by the wind. He adjusted his aim and fired the hookshot. It plunged into the creature's stomach, eliciting another shriek. He pulled himself up, but just when he made it Naito jumped off, Deku Leaf above him. Link swore loudly, realizing all he had succeeded in doing was trading places with Naito. At least Naito had been on top; Link was dangling below. The monster began a slow ascent.

"Oh no you DON'T!" Link grunted, drawing his sword with his free hand and plunging into the monster's stomach. He stabbed again, yelling in frustration. He had no leverage, but his strength made up for it. The monster stopped ascending, beginning to glide down, shakily. It was screeching again. Link hacked viciously at its underside, and its descent steepened. It crashed through the treetops, and Link took his chance. He wrenched his hookshot free and reached out, snagging a branch as several more whipped at his face. He felt as though his arm had been pulled out of his socket, but he was ok. The monster slammed into the ground, sliding along until it hit a tree trunk. The moth slammed to a stop, and the tree slowly fell on it. There was a sickening crunch, and it lay still.

"Link!" he heard Naito call. He dropped down, walking towards the voice.

Link found Naito scrambling over some roots. "Think you could have jumped off before I went up there?" Link asked.

"Whatever. You killed it either way right? Let's just go before something else happens." Naito said.

Link nodded, and the two set off again. They had barely walked a hundred paces when something else happened. A boomerang flew from some trees to the left, catching both Links by surprise. Link ducked just in time, but Naito was not so lucky. It caught him in the head, and he fell in a daze. The boomerang spun back where it came from, but dropped on the ground before it made it back.

_Amateur, _Link thought, pulling out his own boomerang. As soon as a hand reached out from behind a tree to grab it, he tossed. It slammed into the hand, breaking several fingers. There was a distinctive bokoblin cry, and the purple hand pulled back. Link strode over there and leapt behind the tree, sword drawn. But no one was there. Without any change in expression, he flipped his sword wround and brought it down and behind, stabbing backwards. The bokoblin, who had been sneaking up on him, was killed.

Naito had gotten to his feet, and stumbled over. "You alright?" Link asked, looking at the dead bokoblin.

Naito nodded. Link took a step towards the boomerang, bending over and picking it up. It was a bit smaller than his; in fact it would be a good size for Naito. He brought it over to Naito, and held it out to him.

"I can't throw this." Naito said. Link continued to hold it out to him. He rolled his eyes and sighed in frustration, snatching it.

"Hold it like this." Link said, demonstrating. Link had a feeling this kid would demonstrate the same natural skill with weapons as he had. Link had always been able to pick up anything and wield it like a pro with ten minutes of practice.

He was right. Naito's first throw was almost perfect, although he didn't catch it when it came back. A few more throws and he had it perfectly. Just like the grappling hook.

They set off again, Naito throwing the boomerang on the move just to show off.

"Oh yeah?" Link said after watching him for several minutes. He spun and threw his boomerang lightning quick. It flew along, bouncing off three trees and arced up, knocking a hidden peahat out of a tree before coming back. He plucked it out of the air effortlessly and tucked it away in one smooth motion.

Naito watched in awe. "Where do you learn all this stuff?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you…" Link said.

"You're pretty weird…" Naito said, as they continued on.

A half hour later, they came to a large structure. It was a circular, stone building. It would have looked completely out of place except that it was completely overgrown, covered in vines and patches of grass. Plants grew out of it, and the trees grew right up to it. It was about thirty meters above their heads, and a hundred meters around.

Link and Naito walked around it in awe. On the other side, there was a small entrance. There was no door. They looked inside, and the inside was so overgrown with grass that it was almost no different from outside. It was lit by several windows on the structure. More importantly, they saw a Korok in the middle, looking around.

Naito ran in instantly.

"NO!" Link yelled, running in after him. As soon as he entered, a large, purple and green boko baba head erupted from a dense cluster of plants, right behind the Korok. It swallowed him in one gulp, turning its attention to the two Links. Naito had frozen in place. Behind them, vines grew over the entrance alarmingly fast, covering it in a crisscross of impenetrable foliage.

The book baba rose up, supported by a large, closed flower body. The head sunk into the flower, which sprouted vines that crashed through the ceiling, securing it there. It raised itself up off the floor, suspended above them.

"That... is why… you NEVER… EVER suddenly charge into giant rooms with one entrance." Link seethed, running up behind Naito with his sword drawn.

Naito just looked on in fear at the behemoth before them. Link grabbed his arm and dragged him back to relative safety. He examined the monster, figuring a weakness. He had always been good at that.

**AN: Hmm… weak chapter ending. Sorry. Anyway, please review.**


	11. The Ceremony

**AN: Wow, 8 reviews. Thanks everyone! On to the responses…**

**Outofstategrl: Ah, the triforce… I was wondering about that myself some, but I think I have it all sorted out. You'll just have to wait and see…**

**HaltiOvi: Yeah, the ceremony's pretty awesome. It isn't as good in my story though, it just doesn't work without the music.**

**Simbiot2.0: I don't think there will be a sequel… Like you said, I still have to finish Days of War. I've had some real problems writing that, so it will be a while.**

**Gaara-kun: Naito's a little slow on the uptake. Plus he's a little new to the whole, "there's a big boss at the end of each area" formula.**

**Link Fangirl01: I forgive you. Thanks for reviewing!**

**Dragon Alchemist: Thanks for the review!**

**Lil Kala: Yeah, this story is turning out a bit funnier than I thought.**

**Freakyanimegal: Yup, that's the golden rule of Zelda. He'll get it eventually.**

"Get your boomerang out." Link said, watching the monster, which was sprouting more tentacles, this time to attack with.

Naito did so. The monster suddenly plunged the new tentacles into the ground. Everything was quiet for a minute, and then they all burst out around Link. They lashed down at him, but Din's fire stopped them.

"Hit the tentacles attached to the roof!" Link yelled, as the tentacles were replaced by more. He slashed at them with his sword, hacking the ends off and forcing them to retreat. But for each one he slashed, the monster sprouted a few more.

Naito wasted no time. He whipped his boomerang up. It whirled through the air, slicing through several tentacles. It came back, severing a bunch more. The plant roared, spraying some sort of nectar everywhere. The "nectar" burned whatever it touched, scorching parts of the stone wall. A bit landed near Naito, but none got him.

Suddenly all the tentacles around Link retreated into the ground, this time bursting out in front of Naito. Two grabbed him and lifted him up by his arms, struggling. More wrapped around him, squeezing tight. He let out a scream.

Link whipped out a fire arrow, and launched it up into the flower. It embedded in the side, burning away at it. A few layers of petals peeled back and fell to the ground, charred. More rapidly grew to replace them, but it did the trick. Naito was dropped as the tentacles went for Link again.

"So… you are just a mindless monster…" Link muttered, dodging a tentacle. It didn't seem to have any sort of human-like intelligence. Link back flipped and threw his boomerang as he landed. It flew up and crossed paths with Naito's boomerang, which had also been tossed. The rest of the tentacles were severed, and the monster plummeted to the ground.

And started walking. It landed on some new tentacles, and charged toward them, still closed up to protect the boko baba inside. Link and Naito backed up, with Link firing a couple more fire arrows to keep it at bay. He watched it carefully, trying to think of a way to open it up.

"Hmm… I have an idea. I knew someone back… back where I come from. She spent a lot of time with plants, growing them and stuff." Link said, shooting another arrow.

"Oh? Does she have much experience growing one hundred foot tall, man eating beasts that sprout deadly tentacles?" Naito shot back, dodging a flailing tentacle.

"You know, you're not helping. Just keep it busy, ok? When I yell, try and hit those tentacles it's walking on with your boomerang, and knock it down." Link said.

"Got it." Naito said running to the side and shouting. As he had hoped, the monster followed him. He looked back and saw Link scaling the vines on the wall. He rolled to dodge a tentacle, getting to his feet and slashing one with his sword. _Link had better know what he's doing… _he thought.

_I hope I know what I'm doing _Link thought, as he scaled the wall. He knew that a lot of plants would open up if there was enough sunlight around, in an attempt to drink it all in. He hoped this one was the same. About fifty meters up, he found a small ledge. He looked at all the high up windows. This should be close enough. He struggled across some more vines, moving sideways towards the ledge.

The vine he was on broke, and he was left dangling by one arm. He looked down, and saw Naito struggling to fend off more tentacles. He found a small foothold in the rock and put his foot in it. Using it for leverage, he made a clumsy leap at the ledge. He grabbed it with both hands, forcing his elbows up and pulling himself up after.

He stood up, wasting no time. There were windows a little further up, all but blocked by plants. If he could just make things a bit brighter…

He readied a fire arrow, and struck a window. The arrows pierced through, but the growth over it caught fire. The whole window and a bit beyond was cleared. He fired at the next, and the next. The windows were huge, and each one made the room a bit less dim. He prepared to fire at another, and… he couldn't. His magic was drained. He had been taxing it a bit for a while now…

He looked down at the monster. He could see the petals opening just slightly, trembling. One more window could do it. There was one straight above, just twenty feet. He hopped on the vines, climbing up. He could hear the tentacles whipping and the monster roaring, and could only hope Naito was ok.

He finally made it to the giant window, climbing on the window sill. The window was square, about three times as tall as him. He pulled out a bomb, and waited until it was close to exploding. He threw it straight up, and it exploded in the very middle of the window. It blew shards of glass out, and set fire to the vines. The room brightened, and the monster began to open.

"NOW!" Link screamed as loud as he could down at Naito. He climbed back down to the ledge, peering over. Naito had tripped it up, and it fell as it opened fully. The little boko baba head was screaming shrilly, in the very middle of the big, blue, opened flower.

Naito attacked. As soon as it opened, he hopped onto it and ran at the head, sword and shield drawn. It lunged at him but he parried with his shield and went crazy. He slashed at it viciously, over and over. It screeched again, and he buried his sword into it. It exploded suddenly, spraying transparent plant juice everywhere.

Link walked up behind him as the plant began to rot rapidly, sinking into the ground. "Good work." He said.

"Yeah. Whatever. I hope you know being sprayed with plant innards is not pleasant." Naito retorted.

"Fine, next time you scale the wall. Trust me, it could be worse. Let's just go." Link said.

Suddenly they heard a squeak. Both of them whirled to see a Korok rising from the rotted plant. "Oh! Did you save me? My name is Makar. I thank you, swordsmen!" He squeaked.

"It was nothing. We should get you back for that ceremony." Naito said, still trying to wipe the plant juice off of himself.

"On no! The ceremony! I forgot all about it! They're going to be so mad, come on, we have to get back." Makar squeaked.

As if on queue, a sudden wind picked up. All three of them were lifted and dematerialized by it.

They reappeared in Forest Haven, near the Great Deku Tree. Makar instantly ran forward to face him, and said "I'm so sorry Great Deku Tree, I know you told us to stay away from the forest."

"It is okay, Makar. The important thing is that you are safe. Now please, we would love to hear you lovely music, and begin the ceremony." The Tree said gently.

Makar nodded excitedly, pulling a blue violin from no where. All the Koroks gathered instantly, up on the highest branches of The Great Deku Tree. Makar drew his bow across the violin in one long, sad note…

And then began to play the most upbeat tune imaginable. His notes rang out, echoing through the area. The sound was pure, clean, and soothing. Link smiled, and Naito actually bobbed his head along. The Tree too was waving from side to side, and smiling widely.

The Koroks began to sing. They all harmonized, before leaping forth and gliding freely down from among the complex branches. Large seeds the size of a fist began growing all over the Deku Tree, and each Korok snagged one on the way down. With a small, triumphant few notes, Makar ended his song.

"With these seeds… we can spread trees all over the ocean! Perhapes one day the forest will unify the islands, creating one big land!" Chanted the Koroks.

With that, they all took flight again, and Makar again began to play. They flew up and out of the forest, each in a different direction. Makar's song faded to an end. He sighed and fell back into a sitting position.

"Very good Makar. We thank you too, swordsmen. I wish you all luck on your journey. As promised, here is Farore's pearl." The Deku Tree said, as a glowing green pearl, the same size as the last one floated down from above and into Naito's waiting arms.

Link stepped forward and thanked him. They both turned to leave, but the Great Deku Tree called out to them again.

"Link! I almost forgot. Saria has… moved on with the other sages, but… she says hi."

**AN: Short, I know. Sorry. They all seem short lately. Maybe that's just my new chapter size. Anyway, I know it wasn't great but please review and you may get another chapter soon.**


	12. The Pirates

**Responses: (From now on I only respond to questions or something I want to comment on, it takes too much space to just acknowledge everyone)**

**Outofstategrl: I'll explain a bit more about the sages in a later chapter, but it's not that important, so don't worry about it. Thanks for reviewing.**

**Kala: Yeah, but they take longer to make when they are longer. So it all evens out…**

**HerofTimes: Ok, I'm going to try and answer all your questions. First of all, we can just assume Link has his "super-accessible-inter-dimensional- pocket" to make things easy. They never did explain what debt the fishman was paying, so my suggestion is forget about it. This Link DID go to Termina I guess; we just assume he made it back ok to live the rest of his life before the events of my prologue. The other Koroks won't remember him because he was never anything important to them, just someone who vanished. Midp remembers picking on him, and then feeling bad about it, and how much Saria liked him. The coliseum is actually a little reference to another story I wrote, sort of an "easter egg" for anyone who read that. Farore's Wind might be used, I'll see if it's needed. The forbidden woods might be a section of the lost woods, I don't really know. Last, the sages sort of exist, and… well, I'm going to explain that later in the story. Whew. A lot of questions. Thanks for all the reviews though, I don't mind questions.**

**Simbiot2.0: Hmm… I could do something like that, this story is pretty popular… I'll think about it.**

"What… what has happened to this place?" The King of Red Lions gasped. Naito peered over his head towards the island they had set out for. There was a large cloud over it, and it was surrounded by a thin fog. As if on queue, it began to rain.

They coasted through the fog, docking on the beach. "It appears we are too late. Ganon has already been here." The boat said sorrowfully.

Link and Naito looked around. The island was wrecked, covered in rubble and shattered rock and trees. There were scorch marks all over. "What about that Jabun guy you were talking about?" Naito asked.

"HOY!!! Link, Naito!" called a voice. The two Links spun to see Quill fighting some winds as he glided down to them. "Here you are! I have been looking for you two."

"Why?" Naito asked.

"I… I have made a mistake. I suppose you are looking for Jabun, the water spirit? Don't worry, he was able to flee and hide." Quill explained.

"Where?" Naito asked.

"… On the island where you were born. On Outset."

Naito gritted his teeth. Quill continued, "Yes… but even if you went there now, you would not get in. A great stone slab repels all who approach it. Even the pirates' mighty ship could not get in. That is where I made my mistake. I told them everything, thinking they would know where you were. Luckily they did not break in, and oddly enough, they left your village alone completely. They are on Windfall now. You should head there immediately, for if they return to Outset they may not show the same restraint."

Naito nodded. Link thanked him. He nodded back, preparing to take flight. "What an eerie isle this is… Valoo called it cursed. I advise against staying here for long." He said, taking off with only this grim warning.

Naito ran for the boat, with Link following. They hopped in, taking their positions. "So, Jabun still lives. We should go to Windfall immediately, perhaps we can find out how to get to Jabun." The King of Red Lions said, as Naito adjusted the wind.

They set sail, and instantly realized it would not be easy. The waves buffeted them from side to side, and the wind tore through their meagre tunics. They were drenched by rain, and there was roaring wind and thunder. Talking was almost impossible.

The trip normally was about two hours. It took them four, but at least it calmed down as they approached the island. After the deafening storm, the silence seemed almost painful. They docked at Windfall, disembarking quickly.

"Oh, by the way…" The boat spoke up. "You may want to try the bomb shop over there. That would be a good place to start when it comes to destroying things."

Link nodded. "I would have had bombs myself, but I was out when I… I left my home." He covered up quickly.

Naito wasn't paying attention anyway; he was running up to the shop. Link jogged after him. Naito tried to open the door, but it was locked. "Now what?" Naito asked.

"You really want to get inside?" Link asked. Naito nodded.

"There's always a way." Link said, walking to the edge of the shop. It was perched at the edge of a small drop into the ocean, but there was a small ledge beside it. He was able to sidle along to the more spacious back area. Naito followed. The two of them climbed some ivy to get on the roof. They both saw a small tunnel that led inside, and could hear faint voices from inside.

"Bingo." Naito said as the two crawled over to it.

"Can you fit?" Link asked.

"Of course!" Naito exclaimed, getting down on his stomach. Using his arms, he pulled himself inside.

He pulled himself out the other side, finding himself on a loft above the store. He crawled to the edge, peeking down. He saw the store owner tied up and gagged in a corner first, then saw a bunch of pirates. He recognized Tetra and Gonzo, and there were four other pirates he didn't know.

"Ugh, hurry up. This guy's whining is really bugging the hell out of me." Tetra said, jerking her thumb at the store owner.

"Hey, shut your mouth ya' greedy bastard. Think of this as payback for the little monopoly you been runnin' here, yeah?" Gonzo barked at him. He cowered.

"That'll shut him up. Bet he's thinking twice about tryin' to rip off pirates."

Gonzo nodded, but quickly said, "Get back to work Mako."

Mako shot him a dirty look, and started packing more bombs into boxes. "But seriously Gonzo. That was pretty damn clever, you getting that info from the postman. I always thought you were dumb as an ox."

Gonzo looked proud. "Yeah, I just acted like I was worried about that kid there, and he spills the beans." He boasted.

"Quit bragging. Get your ass back to work!" Tetra barked. "As soon as you slackers get all this crap on the boat, we're setting sail."

"WHAT? We have to leave tonight? But… but we just got here! It's been ages since we got to relax. We need some good grub, and we got all excited about coming here. Can't we leave tomorrow? Who's with me?" Gonzo exclaimed.

"Well…"

"Might be nice…"

"Y-yeah…"

"Whatever Miss Tetra says…"

Tetra looked at all the pirates who had just spoken. "Ugh. You're all fools, you hear? You saw the island! You saw the destruction. We don't want the same thing to happen at Outset, do we?" She said.

Mako, the short guy in glasses looked at her oddly. "Huh? Not to be disrespectful or anythin' but it sounds like you care more 'bout that there island then you do about the treasure!"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Tetra snapped. "You know I want the treasure!"

Then, an odd thing happened. She slowly turned her head, and looked up at Naito and winked. He tried to back up, but he knew she saw him. He cringed, waiting for the inevitable…

"Alright, fine. You get the night. But we leave at first light, so no sleeping late! Got it!" Tetra said to the pirates.

"Aye-aye!" They chorused.

With that, they all picked up as many crates as they could carry and left together.

Naito backed out through the tunnel. Link was sitting there, waiting. "Well?" He asked.

"They leave tomorrow. We can probably steal some bombs from their ship; they're all going to town tonight." Naito explained.

"Really? Perfect. Come on, their ship is over here." Link said, hopping off the roof. The two ran over to a high section of cliff overlooking the pirate ship. Link hopped down gracefully, rolling as he hit the ground. Naito jumped down, clumsily landing with a cry and tumbling onto his stomach.

Link helped him up after rolling his eyes, and the two headed for the door leading beneath the ship. It was locked, so Naito rapped sharply three times.

"What's the password?" Squeaked a voice from inside.

"Now what?" Naito asked. Link turned around as if to leave, took a few steps, then spun and slammed into the door full tilt with his shoulder. There was a snapping sound and it swung inward. They both stepped inside to see Niko a few feet away, unconscious.

They stepped over him, and headed down the stairs to the hold. They saw crates upon crates of stuff, mostly bombs. Link immediately began stuffing them into his bomb bag. Naito found a bomb bag among the other stuff, and began doing the same. They finally filled up, and were about to leave when Tetra's voice suddenly rang out from Naito's stone.

"So. Think you're pretty clever taking bombs from pirates? You only got them because we left Niko, the eternal idiot. Well, you know the deal. We're here for the night, so you have a chance. But if you take too long, we'll go sailing right by you and take the treasure for ourselves!" She told them, before the stone grew silent.

"Come on, we have to hurry. Only a few hours before dawn, I bet." Link said.

The two of them made tracks for the boat, setting sail to the south. The seas were very calm for a while, but they soon hit a storm again. Link struggled with the rudder to keep the boat steady, Naito doing the same with the sail. Link tried to spy the moon through the clouds to see how much time they had, but it was impossible. He suddenly remembered the clock, and yelled at Naito to pass it to him. Naito tossed it to him, and he wiped the water off its surface before checking it. They had about two hours until dawn, plus however long it would take the pirates to get there.

They were hit by a particularly violent wave, and when Link looked back to the front he saw Naito was gone. He swore, looking around. He saw a flash of green go under, and dove in after it. The water was ice cold and he almost passed out from the shock. He could barely see five feet around him, but he swam forward anyway. He caught a flash of a figure and darted down after it. He found Naito struggling to get back to the surface, and he grabbed him by the wrists before towing him back to the boat. They managed to get back in without flipping, and continued sailing.

They made it just as dawn broke. They knew the pirate ship would get here much faster than they did, so they sailed around behind the island immediately. They found a large chunk of rock with symbols carved into it around back.

"So… now what?" Naito asked, realising they had no way of using bombs here.

"I'm equipped." The boat said. Suddenly a small cannon unfolded from a small area on the floor. Naito looked surprised, but said nothing and put a bomb in. It fired automatically, and the bomb slammed into the area beside the stone blocking the cave. He adjusted the cannon's position, and fired again.

Three direct hits and it crumbled. Without hesitation, the two sailed into the dark cave within.

**AN: Rats. I hate writing chapters without action. Oh well! Please review.**


	13. The Tower of the Gods

**AN: This chapter starts a bit slow, but I like to think it picks up for the second half. It's also long, some of you may be happy to know.**

**Responses:**

**Outofstategrl: Yeah, Ganon did make it eternal night there, I sort of left it out of the story because I saw no point to it. It was really only there in the game to ensure you couldn't fail. Just wanted to mention that. Thanks for the review!**

**Herooftimes: No problem, I like questions for some reason… On to your new ones! I think Jabun is more a descendant of Jabu Jabu, but a reincarnation could work too. They're definitely connected somehow. And uh… have I ever been to where? I think maybe you forgot to type the last word there…**

**Dragon Alchemist: Jabu Jabu is indeed his name, and yes I remember him. I don't think he is the SAME as Jabun, but I'm almost positive they're related, or maybe he's a reincarnation. Thanks for the review! Oh, and yes, I do get a happy feeling from shooting that stupid fishman thing.**

"Well met, Hyrule King." Rang out a deep voice in ancient Hylian. Naito of course, was left confused while Link listened intently. In front of them, the water bubbled and swelled, rising up in a big lump. A giant blue fish revealed himself from beneath, resting at the surface to watch them. He had a lantern dangling from a horn on his forehead. Link instantly thought of Jabu Jabu, although Jabu Jabu was greyer and couldn't talk.

"Well met indeed Jabun. I am pleased that you are safe." The King of red Lions said.

"It is just as we feared, isn't it." Jabun said. Link began whispering a translation into Naito's ear.

"Yes. Ganon has returned. There is no other explanation." The king said. Link found it odd that the king was speaking the modern Hylian language, but Jabun could understand him.

"If you have sought me out, you must have found the descendant of the Hero of Time… Which one is he?"

The boat looked back at Link, who was listening intently. He whispered into Link's ear, "Do not tell Naito what transpires from here on."

"The older one… he is unexpected. He is in fact the very same Hero of Time from the legends, although why is here is unknown to me. The other one bears no direct relation, but… I sense great courage in him." The boat finally said to Jabun.

"This is unusual. It is unclear what the goddesses want. I advise you to be cautious from here on. But if you truly think this is the only way… I will grant you the guidepost to the goddesses." Jabun said, giving the lantern on his forehead an almighty shake. A glowing blue pearl flew up, floating down to the boat. Link bowed his thanks while Naito stowed it away in the boat's compartment. They started to cruise out when Jabun asked a final question.

"Have you found the other whom you were searching for?"

The boat looked thoughtful, and said only "I believe I have." With that, they left the cave, out into the fresh morning light.

"Hmm… there is one more trial you must endure before we can confront Ganon. First, you must bring the pearls to their resting places. Get that chart out, I will tell you the coordinates." The boat said. Link did as he was told, marking the spots the King of Red Lions read to him. That done, he and Naito set off.

They reached an island with a reddish, abstract looking statue. It held its arms out, and Naito took the pearl over to it while Link watched. He placed it in its hands, where it began to glow brighter. The statue's eyes began to pulse a faint red. His duty done, Naito stepped back from the statue, turning and climbing back aboard the boat.

They delivered Nayru's pearl with equal ease, and arrived at the third island with no trouble. Naito again put Farore's pearl there, waiting for something to happen. For several seconds, nothing did. Until suddenly, extremely bright light emanated from the statue. Naito swore, and dove for cover. The statue exploded, or rather, the outer layer did. Behind was left an extremely intricate and realistic statue of a beautiful woman garbed in clothes made from leaves. She still held the pearl out. Naito stood slowly, and then ducked again when a beam of green shot from the pearl and off into the distance. It stayed that way for about ten seconds, until a red beam suddenly came from another angle, slamming into the pearl. The statue suddenly radiated a burst of green energy, which swept up Naito, Link and the boat. When it faded, they were gone.

They were brought to an empty patch of ocean. There was a rumbling noise from within the depths of the ocean, which began to swell ahead of them. Water was pushed out, which they gently rose up with. A giant white tower broke the ocean's surface, rising into the heavens. The water around them swelled too as a giant white ring rose up around, made up of many arches that would allow their boat to leave. The tower finally finished rising, revealing an entrance the boat could sail in. They did so at the King of Red Lion's command.

They were in a large water filled chamber. Straight ahead was a ledge under a golden statue spouting a waterfall that blocked it. They sailed over there, stopping right in front of the waterfall. Link drew his bow, aiming an ice arrow at the mouth. It was an easy shot, and the mouth froze over, granting them access. Naito hopped out first, and Link was about to follow when the King of Red Lions spoke up.

"No Link. Do you now know what this place is? It is the Tower of the Gods! The training grounds for the hero. Naito must go on alone."

Link sat back down. Naito hesitated.

"Go forth Naito. If you wish to save your sister, it is the only way. I trust in your skills. You should too." The boat said gently.

Naito nodded, a determined look settling on his face. It made him appear years older, somehow. He nodded grimly, turning and stepping towards a large door. It opened automatically for him, slamming shut behind him. He had never felt so alone.

The room he was in was circular, and had moving platforms at the back that he could use to get up. The interior of the tower was white as the outside, with gold trimmings. The platforms were gold, and hovered up and down over a VERY deep looking pit. He was about to jump to the first one when he noticed an inscription on the wall.

It read: _Ye who would undergo the trials of the hero, listen well. You will be tested on everything necessary to prepare you for the trials ahead. Failure means death; success will see you adequately prepared for the future. _

"Thanks for the encouragement…" Naito said to no one in particular. "And now I'm talking to myself. I haven't done anything yet and I'm going crazy already." He added as an afterthought. He then hopped onto the first platform. He hopped to the second when it was close enough, and managed to work his way to the top with no difficulty.

As soon as he was on the second floor, which looked much like the first, he was attacked. A stone statue with a hammer came to life, hopping after him. He drew his sword and back flipped to avoid a hammer blow. He slashed at it uselessly, jarring his arm. He jumped to the side to avoid another swing, and noticed a large red protrusion on its back. He followed his jump with a roll to the side, bringing himself behind it. He stabbed his sword into the red spot with both hands. The blade went a quarter of the way in before hitting stone, but that was enough. The statue began flashing red, and hopping around with Naito still attached. He was half dragged around, trying to yank his sword free. It finally came loose and sent him flying back just before it exploded.

A pink pillar of light appeared in the middle of the room. Seeing no other option, Naito stepped into it. It lifted him up and through the ceiling to the next floor. He was in a room with a large suit of armour at the outside of the room. It held a large sword up over its face. Naito watched it cautiously, remembering the "statue" from the last room.

Finally deciding it wasn't going to attack, he looked around for a way out. There was a weird statue of an eye on the roof, but it was out of reach. He again turned back to the armour, which still hadn't moved. He walked over to inspect it… it was indeed empty…

On instinct, he ducked. Turned out to be a good thing too; a giant sword sailed over his head and smashed the armour to bits. He spun to see another suit of armour, only this one was occupied. He didn't know where it came from, but he wasn't about to ask it.

He drew his sword and shield, and back flipped to put some distance between him and the knight-thing. It made an inhuman grunting sound, and stepped towards him. He darted to the side as it swung at him, trying to remember what Orca had taught him. It thrust at him and he rolled forward under it, stabbing at the creature's stomach from the floor. His sword glanced off the armour, and it gave him a swift kick. He slid across the floor, clutching his stomach in agony. It stepped over him, preparing to finish it…

He leapt to his feet, sword fully charged. He grinned, unable to believe it had worked. It used the spin attack, which knocked it right over. It slid across the floor, orange energy dancing across its armour every now and then. It stood, and its armour fell off in one piece. A very inhuman thing was left, wearing thin leather armour. Its face was dark under a hood, with red eyes. It readied its sword, charging at him with new agility.

It swung at him horizontally, at neck height. He leaped up, managing to clear the blade. Then, an odd thing happened. Naito felt a slight breeze, and a roaring wind seemingly from nowhere threw the monster off balance. Naito landed, and used the opportunity to leap at its unguarded face. He plunged his sword through its forehead, dropping to the ground. It staggered around, with the sword still in its face. It finally let out a pained roar, and fell backward. Naito retrieved his sword, wiping the black coloured blood on its leather armour with a look of disgust in his face. Just as he finished, the monster exploded into purple flame, vanishing.

He sheathed his sword in triumph, looking over to the other side of the room where a bright light had appeared. A chest was left behind as the light faded. Naito ran over to the chest, opening it carefully.

Inside were a small bow and a quiver full of arrows. He picked it up carefully, having no idea how to use it. For some reason however, it felt natural as he picked it up. He nocked an arrow expertly, suddenly feeling as if he had been an archer from birth. On a whim, he shot at the eye statue. Clearly he wasn't quite as god as he felt, because he missed. He got it on his second shot however, and it closed. Another pink pillar of light appeared, bringing him to the next floor.

He went up several floors of puzzles and platforms, with nothing much happening. He figured he must have been near the top by now, as he entered yet another floor. He was attacked again, by a strange entity. It appeared to be a cloud of dark fog, moving toward him. As it got closer, the air felt cooler and damper. Tendrils of fog reached out as if to grab him…

He snapped out of it, back flipping. The wisps of dark fog furled back into the main cloud. He thought he could make out some sort of figure inside the cloud, but he couldn't see it clearly. Drawing his bow, he took aim at the thing inside. He fired, and the arrow whistled into the fog, which began to disperse. He could see the figure inside, which now seemed to be almost human.

The fog began to reform. He shot another arrow, and another, placing them well so as to keep the fig split apart. It began to fade, and he could clearly make out the shape. It was a woman, floating a bit above the ground. She had brown hair, which floated unnaturally and wore a green dress. She looked at Naito sweetly, who put his sword away, unable to attack. That was when she changed. In an instant her beautiful face was that of a snarling gargoyle, her body some sort of twisted demon. She leapt at Naito, arms outstretched with sharp claws aimed for him.

With lightning quick reflexes, Naito leaped sideways and drew his sword, slashing at it when it flew by. He took off an arm, which flopped around uselessly on the ground before rotting away. The one arm demon was looking at him, appearing not to notice its missing limb. It flew at him again, dodging his swing and slashing him. It caught his arm, leaving four slashes through his tunic and skin. It didn't seem deep, but he could check that after. First he had to finish this thing.

It was looking at him again. This time it extended its arm, and vines sprouted rapidly from the fingers. All five wrapped around Naito, drawing him in close. He was held, suspended in front of the beast. It grew another arm, which had even bigger claws then before. Naito struggled, trying to free his left arm in which he held his sword. The hand reared back, aiming for his vulnerable stomach. He managed to wrench his arm free, and slash the other vines despite his lack of leverage. He fell to the ground, ducking as he landed to dodge the swipe. He then thrust his sword forward, this time piercing the monster's chest. It screamed, although that wasn't a good way to describe it. It was more like it opened its mouth, and a thousand voices screamed from within. It began to turn to sand, starting with its feet and working its way up to its head. The scream lingered for a few seconds after it was gone.

"You have defeated the earth spirit. You are ready for your final challenge. Go through the door, and come face me." A deep voice called through the chamber. A door that had been covered by bars was opened. Naito took a deep breath, checking his wound. It was even shallower than he thought, so he continued on through the door to see what awaited him.

**AN: There. I hope you enjoyed. Please leave a review, and I actually have a question for you. I assume you've beaten Wind Waker, and already know what I am telling you so it isn't a spoiler. But at the part with the Master Sword, I don't know whether to give it to Naito or big Link. I have a scenario in my head for either one, so please let me know what YOU want to see. Thank you.**


	14. The Master Sword

**AN: Ten reviews! I've never had a story consistently pull in this many. I'd like to thank everyone who's reviewed and/or answered my question. I have made my choice, as you will see this chapter. Just a reminder I only respond to questions, or something I want to point out or comment about.**

**Responses:**

**Outofstategrl: Hmm… I have a habit of just making up interesting (I think) monsters, and never explaining a thing about them. I guess that's how it is here, too. So I guess you can just assume the Earth Spirit thing was put there to test the hero, and anything else is up to you. Thanks for reviewing.**

**HaltiOvi: Actually, Link never had the Master Sword. It's in the castle. He just had some generic sword, so there won't be two Master Swords. I can't give anything way about the triforce of courage, but hopefully it will all make sense to you when the time comes. Thanks for the review!**

**Lil Fang: I try putting in the funny stuff, but it doesn't work. For example, the statue explosion just seemed silly and stupid without actually getting to see it all. I usually end up editing out some of the physical humour. I too, love the game, I just can't do the humour properly here.**

**ZombieDragon: Ha, that's kind of funny, bit of an odd coincidence… By the way, I don't mind you sounding like a broken record as long as its compliments you're repeating. Thanks for reviewing!**

**HeroofTimes: Oh, Ok. I'm looking around the site now, I'm always on the lookout for another Zelda site. The Sword of Earth is something new, and the Kokiri sword was what he gave Naito. I forgot it became the gilded sword though… umm… it got magically ungilded when he got back to Hyrule…?**

"You have done well to find your way to me, O chosen one of the goddesses."

So spoke a deep voice as Naito entered a large, dim chamber of smooth gray stone. After leaving the room with the Earth Spirit, it had been a short jog up an outdoor ramp to this room. The voice seemed to be coming from a large head statue on the opposite wall, in between two hand statues.

Suddenly the eyes of the statue began to glow a bright red colour, and it pulled free from the wall. Naito quickly checked out the room as he had seen Link do, getting a feel for the environment. He was on a circular platform the filled most of the room, but at the edge you could fall into a green floor which seemed to be sparkling with energy. Best not to fall down there.

The head was now floating above him, with blue glowing lines spreading all over it. Link noticed a discoloured spot on the top of its head. The hands were getting the same blue lines as they too pulled free from the wall. A red glowing circle appeared on each palm, looking a lot like its eyes. It floated to the end of the room, looking at Link. It then closed his eyes, speaking once more: "My name is Gohdan, and I am the master of this tower. Accept this final test."

Then, the battle began. Gohdan shot bright blue beams from his finger tips, which Naito dodged easily. He focused on the red spots on its hands, which he was sure were eyes. It was the only way he could see him with this real eyes closed. He drew his bow instead of his sword, jumping back to avoid a slap as he nocked an arrow. The hand had spun to face him, and he loosed the arrow, which hit the red spot. There was a glass shattering sound, and the light faded. The hand floated uselessly, fingers dangling, palm facing the ground.

Link tried to ready another arrow, but missed the string and the second hand got him with a small slap. It was enough to bat him off his feet, rolling almost off the edge. It tried to flick him off, but he rolled out of the way and got to his feet, readying an arrow. The hand turned around and he took a close range shot, pegging the second "eye." The hand also dangled useless.

The head then opened its real eyes, looking at Link. It opened its mouth, and fired bursts of flame that exploded on impact at an extremely quick rate. Naito dove to the side as they pounded the floor in front of him and almost took him out. He ran for it, with the blasts hitting the floor right behind him. He readied an arrow on the go, turning and shooting. He missed the eye, but it hit the cheek and Gohdan stopped shooting at him.

The head charged at him, trying to ram him. He shot the eye, and it stopped short barely a foot away, pulling back. Without warning, it slammed down onto the ground, creating a rumbling that knocked Naito off of his feet. It slid across the ground at him, pushing him right off the edge.

He hit the ground and was met with excruciating pain. He screamed as a current of lightning passed through him. Almost blinded by the pain, he blindly stood and jumped. His hand caught the edge of the platform, and he pulled himself up on pure adrenaline. The pain was subsiding, although he knew he had burns all over his body. His vision was blurry, but he chanced a shot at Gohdan, and to his surprise he hit the eye.

Gohdan grunted, and fell to the ground, with his mouth hanging open. Naito ran over, his mind blocking out the residual pain. He drew a bomb, and threw it into the mouth, somehow knowing that was what he had to do. It exploded, and the head bounced, falling backward. He ran around it, remembering the odd spot on its head. He saw it was a place with no stone, revealing a blue, skin-like substance. He plunged his sword into it, and it instantly rose up, almost taking him with it. There was no blood, but somehow he knew he had wounded it.

A second too late, he realized the hands were back in action. One punched him from behind, belting him forward. All of his pains were reawakened, and he twitched, almost losing consciousness. He struggled to his feet with a superhuman effort, blotting out the pain again. Plenty of time to worry about that AFTER. He drew his bow and shot an eye on a nearby hand, ducking as another sailed overhead. It came again, and he shot it point blank as it approached. He spun to face the head, which was charging a giant fireball in its mouth. Link back flipped as it was launched at him, but he was hit by the explosion and hurled to the edge again. Again, he almost lost consciousness. He managed to get to his feet, and noticed a new problem. The hands were still dangling uselessly, but Gohdan had closed his eyes again, attempting to fight blindly.

Link stayed quiet, as Gohdan charge around randomly. The hands moved with him, still useless, one close to the ground and one a bit higher up. Naito got a crazy idea, but he knew it was the only way. He ran forward, ignoring the pain. Adrenaline took over as he leaped onto the first hand, putting all his momentum into his knees as he landed and springing over to the other, an eight foot jump. He landed perfectly, sliding to the edge. He spun, took a powerful step forward and launched himself at the head. He fell short, grabbing it with his hands and forcing his elbows up. Gohdan began to flail around, but he would not be denied. He scrambled with his feet to get on top, drawing his sword.

Gohdan began to flip upside down. He scrambled over to the exposed section on his knees, uphill. He raised his sword as he began to slide backward off, plunging it down with all his strength…

Meanwhile, back outside, Link was starting to worry.

"Should I go in after him?" He asked the King of Red Lions.

The boat shook his head. "It is his test, not your. He must complete it himself."

If Link had sufficient room, he would be pacing. To keep himself busy, he drew the tower on his chart, not seeing any fish. It was simple enough. When he finished, he was thinking about going in anyway when a bell rang out. He snapped his head up to the top of the tower, which was the source of the sound. He could faintly make out a big bell, and he though he saw some speck swinging below it. He wished Naito wasn't carrying the telescope around with him, or he would have used it.

On the third ring, a circle of light appeared in front of them. It looked just like the one that had brought Link above the surface, and he had no doubt it would take them back down. He noticed the bell had stopped ringing, so he looked back up there…

He felt a sudden wind, and Naito materialized in the boat. He was covered in red burns, which were actually scabbed in some places. One of his eyes was black, and he had big bruises. He was bleeding slightly out the back of his head, and he was barely conscious.

"Damn it!" The boat shouted, looking back. "How is he?"

"Can't tell. He took a beating. I'll see what I can do." Link said bluntly. He was carrying some red potion, which he made Naito drink. The bruises faded, and he stopped bleeding. The burns were still an issue however, but he thought he might be able to treat those. He was in no way an accomplished healer like Zelda, but he had been able to heal himself quickly with magic, and Zelda had taught him to do the same to others.

He raised his hand over Naito, willing his magic power down his arm. He forced it to jump to Naito, and a green aura emanated from his fingers and Naito. He visualized whatever part of his head access to magic flaring to life and feeding the flow of healing. As usual, he could see a meter of sorts in his mind, being depleted.

Naito's eyes fluttered open. His scabs faded, and his skin lost its bright red hue. Link was almost out of magic again, but Naito was able to sit up.

"Whoa… what happened?" He asked thickly.

The boat answered him, "We don't know. You appeared here, injured, but Link healed you. What happened to you?"

Naito started to look more alert. "It was that stupid head thing!" He burst out, before telling them the story, although he edited out his missed shots.

"So then I rang the bell, and then I fell off and… here I am." He finished.

"Hmm… I'm sorry to have sent you there, but it was the only way. We must enter that ring of light." The King of Red Lions said, cruising forward.

As they entered, they submerged slowly. Link breathed normally, knowing he could breathe, although Naito held his breath for as long as he could. Link peered over the edge of the boat, eager to be back at in Hyrule. He saw the castle, and realized this was the same place he had risen from.

They eventually just left the water, floating down through air. They were instantly dry, oddly enough. Naito looked around avidly as they touched the shallow water below, floating there.

"You two must enter the castle. There may be something of use." The boat said, eyeing Link. Link may have been concerned, but he wasn't paying much attention, instead drinking in the familiar, albeit colourless, land.

He and Naito hopped out of the boat, walking toward the castle's front door. It was wide open, and Naito ran in excitedly. Link rolled his eyes, at least he knew there was no monster in here. He was about to follow when the great door slammed shut, keeping him out.

Naito looked back in surprise and fear. He was left alone. He also saw several enemies, darknuts and moblins. None of them were moving at all, and as soon as he deemed it safe he began to look around. He kept his sword drawn, just in case. The room was large, although partly destroyed. There was a statue in the middle, of a man in a tunic. The hero from the legend. This must have been the fabled land of Hyrule. Naito was in awe.

Suddenly a voice sounded from the stone in his back pocket, the one Tetra gave him. It was the boat.

"Naito? Are you alright? Don't worry; the area is frozen in time. The monsters cannot attack you. Forget about Link now; he would actually try and stop you from what you are about to do. After everything he's been through… I don't blame him. But forget about that. You must solve a puzzle in this room. There is a treasure below, something you need to defeat Ganon. Look at the statue." He said.

Naito walked over to it, examining it. It was set on a large, square stone base. On the front of this base were three triangles, randomly scattered across the surface it seemed. He reached out and touched one, and to his great surprise it turned gold and moved slightly. He touched it again, realizing he could manipulate it at will, sliding it across the surface. He brought the three triangles close together. He had to make a pattern of some sort it seemed. But what?

But he knew what. It was a symbol he had never noticed, but it was everywhere. It was on the doors at his island, the entrance to this castle, emblazoned on some boats, carved in the Forsaken Fortress… he realized it was everywhere, but he had never wondered why. He arranged the tree triangles to make one triangle with no center, and a chime rang out. He jumped back as the statue began to rumble, and move. It slid back, revealing a staircase leading down. He headed down without hesitating.

Link felt the rumble from outside the doors, where he was waiting. A minute later, the door opened and he rushed in. He saw the statue, which seemed to be a bit far back… He gasped.

"No!" he yelled, running for the stairs.

Naito approached the sword in the pedestal. The room was oddly bright, and decorated with mosaics on the wall. There was a raised platform in the middle, where the sword was. The raised platform was surrounded by giant knight statues, holding their stone swords up.

The sword itself had a blue hilt, with tiny stubs for a cross guard. There was a dull, black gem where the hilt met the blade. The blade started thin, but got thicker a few inches up. That triangle symbol was carved into the bottom of the blade. It was the only colourful object in the room.

He reached his arms out, grabbing the hilt with both hands. He gave a sudden tug, and the blade slid free. It felt pleasant in his hands, a whole lot lighter than it looked. In fact, it was a perfect weight for him. He gave it three short swings, raising it up to the light.

Link was halfway to the stairs when he realized he was too late. Colour began to return to everything, starting with the stairs and spreading all over. He drew his sword and shield.

"No…" He breathed, unable to believe this could happen. Didn't anyone know what the Master Sword was holding back? He had a faint hope earlier that the sword would have rejected Naito, but he had known deep down that it wouldn't.

The monsters began to move. The one he had stabbed when he awoke suddenly had a wound in its stomach, and collapsed as soon as it had awoken. The rest however, were still as tough as they were a thousand years ago. Link randomly found himself realizing he was over a thousand years old, as he crouched into a fighting stance.

**AN: There we are! Naito was almost unanimously voted for and I have to say I agree. I'd also like to point out that this is longer than my past few chapters. Well, please review!**


	15. Forsaken Fortress Revisited

**Responses:**

**Outofstategrl: I don't think it's Bongo Bongo exactly, but it's pretty much the same thing. Gohdan or whatever his name is was testing the hero, and Bongo Bongo is just rude.**

**Herooftimes: Yup, I used to play star fox 64 all the time. Nintendo seems to reuse ideas a lot… Anyway, I'm not sure if the Great Fairies will be used, but as I type this I actually see a way I might use one. Thanks for the review!**

**Link Fangirl01: He wasn't allowed in because he would stop Naito from taking the sword and… yeah, the rest is explained in this chapter.**

"Hyah!" Link yelled, leaping into action. He flipped over a moblin, slashing down at its head as he went. He pulled off a quick spin attack as he landed, fending off more. He stepped to the side as a darknut slammed its sword down at him, then leaped forward and planted his sword its neck, where the armour was weakest. He pulled free, back flipping to put some distance between him and another darknut.

Naito ran up the stairs, hearing the racket above. He realized the monsters must have started moving, and if the shouts were anything to judge by, Link was inside now. He arrived on the main level with his shield ready for action alongside his new sword. It was chaos, with monsters wandering all over, occasionally bickering, but mostly hell bent on disassembling the castle.

He heard a yell from closer to the entrance, and ran over to see Link and a darknut, blades locked, pushing each other. Link strained against it, and then agilely rolled to the side and around to the back, jumping up with a spin. He slashed up the weak back of the armour, which fell apart. The darknut spun in rage, smacking Link with the broad side of his blade. Link reeled back, but the darknut was no longer watching him. It had seen Naito, and decided to go after him instead.

Naito tensed, but stayed cool. This new sword soothed him, feeling light and comforting in his grip. When the darknut reared its arm back for a might swing, he acted. He leaped up as it swung, right over the blade and onto its shoulders. He bounced off and landed behind it, spinning and throwing his momentum into a might stab. His sword went clean through, and the darknut dropped like a rag doll.

Link was so interested in this display that he was almost beheaded by a moblin's spear. He ducked just in time, grabbing the spear with his right hand. He wrenched the moblin closer, stabbing his sword through its head. He held the spear, spinning and tossing it through another moblin. These monsters were dumb as hell; some of them hadn't even noticed him or Naito.

Naito ran over to him after dispatching a moblin. Link looked at the sword in his hand, the sword that was also the key to all of Ganon's greatest powers. He gritted his teeth, spinning and slashing another moblin.

"Naito, get back to the boat!" He barked, drop kicking a moblin and planting his sword into it after it fell back.

"No way!" Naito yelled back, back flipping as a darknut stabbed at him. He pushed the blade to the side with his shield and rolled through its legs. He spun and slashed the armour off of it as he rose. He hopped back nimbly as it spun around. It swung horizontally and he used the jump attack he had seen Link use, locking swords. It was pushed back slightly from his momentum, but it planted its feet and shoved forward. Naito flew a few meters back, hitting his head on the floor. He blinked, dazed, as the same darknut raised its sword over its head, preparing to bring it down.

Link leaped through the air, slamming it with his shoulder. It reeled sideways and Link hit the ground with his sword poised to strike. He brought it down at an angle, leaving a large gash from its right shoulder down to the left of its waist. It staggered forward, collapsing a second later.

"See? Too dangerous, get back!" Link commanded to Naito.

"I could have had him!" Naito exclaimed as he got it. He looked ready to say something else, but suddenly his eyes widened. He ran forward, leaping at Link. He pushed on Link's shoulders, vaulting over him and raising his sword. He deflected a moblin's spear that had been heading right between Link's shoulder blades. Link spun in mild surprise as Naito charged forward and put a deep slash in the moblin's stomach.

"Maybe YOU should go back to the boat." Naito mocked.

"You know, you're pretty quick. Alright, I guess there's no convincing you… just stick close." He said, as Naito ran off on his own.

"Damn…" He muttered, running after him. A moblin tried to get in his way, but he put his shield forward and pushed it down, trampling it and continuing forward. He caught up to see Naito between two advancing darknuts. The darknuts swung down at him, but he quickly leaped to the side. The swords collided, locking there for a second. Naito had been charging energy to his sword, and unleashed a large spin attack. The two darknuts burst into flame as the wave of energy hit them, falling back and writhing on the ground.

Link started to walk forward, but three moblins advanced at him from three sides. He cupped his hands, creating a small flame. He brought it back, and then up and onto the ground. It ignited into a powerful Din's Fire, surrounding him and expanding. The three moblins were vaporized, and two darknuts further on were set on fire, running around in a panic before dying.

By now, the castle was almost empty. Many of the creatures had left, realizing the castle was pretty well destroyed, and abandoned. They left through the back way, which was probably good. If they left through the front, they would have found the boat.

"Should we go?" Naito asked, looking around the empty area.

Link started to nod, and then raised a finger to tell him to wait. He ran out the back way where the monsters had gone, which used to lead to more of the castle. That had been destroyed; he knew it as soon as he entered. It was now a white bridge over a large canyon, leading to a chunk of land on the other side. There was a large, dark coloured castle that had definitely not been there before. He ran along, seeing a few moblins near the other side.

Around the halfway point, he stopped short. A large, translucent dark brown barrier had slowly appeared, denying him access. He pulled out his bow, aiming an arrow at it. He fired, and it was vaporized on contact. He tried a light arrow, which created a small hole about the size of a fist. It sealed up a half of a second later. He turned and headed back, deciding not to waste time here. Ganon was above the surface anyway.

He and Naito headed back out to the boat. Link was silent, lost in thought. As they approached the King of Red Lions, he instantly saw the sword.

"So you have retrieved the Master Sword… good, good…" He said as they climbed in.

"Good? Don't you know what this means? How could you let him take the sword?" Link snapped.

"It is the only way to defeat Ganon." The boat said solemnly.

"But before now he wasn't really a big threat. I don't know how he escaped the sacred realm, but the Master Sword holds more than his physical body in the sacred realm. All his power, and the power of his triforce piece are now his again. He's pretty well invincible." Link sighed, defeated.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, back me up. How the hell do you know all this? Who ARE you?" Naito piped up. Link didn't answer.

"Naito, I don't think I can explain it all to you right now. But Link has reason to fear Ganon, he knows more about him then anyone. You could say he's a researcher." The boat said to Naito gently, before turning to Link and saying, "You need to understand, things have to get worse before they can get better."

Link shrugged. "Too late now. We should head back to the Forsaken Fortress before he does more damage." Link said grimly. The boat nodded, and cruised into the ring of light. They were carried up and away.

They broke the surface, completely dry. The ring of light faded away, and Link checked out the sea chart. It had the forsaken fortress on it from the very beginning, so he used the compass to find their course. Naito hoisted the sail, and off they went.

They arrived at the Forsaken Fortress by nightfall. They stopped out of the reach of the spotlights, and used the telescope to check the place out.

"How do we get in?" Naito asked. Link was staring at the wooden structure up top. His gauntlet hid the glow, but he could feel the Triforce mark on his hand burning slightly. Ganon was definitely up there, and he knew they were here.

"Just head for the entrance, and load the cannon." Link said. Naito looked at him like he was crazy, but did as he was told.

The spotlights flocked to them, but no shots were fired. It was eerily silent. The cannon was out and ready, so Link slid to the front and aimed it carefully. He launched a bomb at the bottom of the large wooden door, and fired. It blew out the bottom bit of the door, and the rest crumbled after them. Again, no counter attack was made. They cruised uneasily inside, docking where both Links had once scrambled out of the water and into the fortress. The two hopped out, looking around carefully.

"You must find Ganon, up in the tower. It seems he has let you in, but be careful from here on out. That bird might still be around as well… But don't worry. You have the Master Sword, the blade of evil's bane, the one spoken of in the legends." The King of Red Lions said, more to Naito then to Link. Naito nodded, and the two set off up the stairs.

At the top was the open area, with the spotlights trained on it like before. As soon as they entered, a gate went up behind them and on the ramp out. The door leading into the fortress was bolted shut, and the spotlights went out. The two Links stood tense, drawing their swords. It was eerily quiet again.

A deep laughter rang out, evil and mocking. It was like Ganondorf's laughter, although there was something off about it. Phantom Ganon was the first thing Link thought of.

He was almost right. A creature appeared before the, made of shadow but with Ganon's basic shape. It wasn't the Phantom Ganon Link knew, but it was close. Link and Naito stood side by side, weapons ready. It floated before them, drawing a large black sword from within the folds of darkness.

"You are not worthy to fight Lord Ganon. I am more than enough for you." It said, floating up and further back. It raised its sword, and charged forward suddenly. Link jumped left and Naito jumped right, and it hit empty air. It landed on the ground, turning toward the two of them. All three raised their swords, and charged at each other.

**AN: Uhhhh… please review.**


	16. The Helmaroc King

**Responses:**

**Outofstategrl: Hmm… it isn't really a GOOD thing that things get worse before they get better, but it's the only way to make things better. Get it? They need the master sword to kill Ganon, so they can either keep Ganon from getting to full power but let him slowly take over Hyrule anyways, or take the sword, giving him his power but then going after him and finishing him with it. In the long run, that's a better option. Thanks for the review!**

**Anime Wildfire: Your idea makes some sense to me, but I'm not sure if I'll use it or not. I don't think the burning would get THAT bad. You've actually given me a similar idea though, so thanks!**

**Heroftimes: I'm not quite sure I understand your first questions. Link does have the triforce of courage still, but I'm not sure what you mean by that letting Link and Naito kill Ganon without the Master Sword. Let me just say that I probably couldn't answer it anyway, because it might give something away… so on to your next question! I guess Link didn't get a good enough look at the hilt of the sword to realize it was different. And did I feel sorry for Ganon? Not really, although that article was interesting. He may have been misguided, but he did what he did and got what he deserved in my opinion.**

Link rolled and Naito jumped, both dodging phantom Ganon's swing. Naito flipped over him and slashed his head as Link finished his roll and stabbed it. Phantom Ganon yelled, twirling up into the air. He stopped there, creating a giant green energy ball over its head. When it grew big enough, he lobbed it down at Naito.

"Swing!" Link yelled, but Naito hesitated too long. The energy hit him, blasting him back. He lay on the ground, twitching as green energy cackled through him. He didn't get back up. Link swore, and then rolled to the side as Phantom Ganon hurled another blast of energy at him. It slammed into the ground behind him, scorching the floor slightly. Link got to his feet gracefully, charging a light arrow. Phanton Ganon let out a surprised grunt and tried to dodge, but Link sent the arrow straight into his chest. Phantom Ganon yelled, spreading his arms and legs as light energy cackled through him. He fell onto the ground, falling onto his knees. Link charged forward and used a jump attack, but Phantom Ganon raised his sword, blocking it. He stood up, and he and Link struggled for a while. The struggle was ended as Link brought his sword back and twirled it down into a slash upward. It caught Phantom Ganon's stomach, he yelled and leapt back.

He charged another ball of energy, hurling it toward Link. The shot was a bit low, and Link back flipped to avoid it. It landed in front of him, almost blinding him with its flash of bright light. Without warning, Phantom Ganon leapt through the residual light, taking Link completely by surprise. Link was hit by three punches, the last of which hurled him onto his back several feet away.

Phantom Ganon laughed, gliding over to him. He raised his sword high above his head, and brought it crashing down. Link raised his shield, and the sword hit with a dulled clang sound. Link struggled to rise, but he had no leverage. He focused his energy on holding the sword off…

"HHHYYYAAA!!!" yelled a high-pitched voice. Naito jumped over Link, drop kicking Phantom Ganon in the face. The shadowy being staggered back and Link rolled to the side before Naito landed on him. He frog-hopped to his feet, and took a quick look at Naito.

"You alright?" he asked briefly.

"I got hit by a giant ball of potential death. But other than that, yeah I'm fine." He complained.

"Good." Link said, getting into a fighting stance as Phantom Ganon came charging back at them. Naito crouched low, tensing his knees. As Phantom Ganon approached, Link stepped forward and thrust his sword to meet him. Naito jumped straight up and took a swipe at Phantom Ganon's face. He reeled back from the surprise blow, and Link followed up with three short slashes, and then spun to deliver one almighty swing. The last one knocked Phantom Gannon onto his back, and Naito finished it with a leap into the air before planting his sword firmly in the phantom's chest. It winked out of existence, no drama or sound. One second it was there, the next it was a few vapours of shadow.

Naito wrenched his sword out of the ground, sheathing it easily. Before either of them could say anything, a chest appeared in the middle of the area, decorated with spikes. The two walked over to it, and Link opened it up. A ray of light burst out, revealing the hammer inside. It was big, even bigger than the megaton hammer. The head was adorned with some kind of animal skull. Link picked it up, realizing the despite its size it was lighter then his. He passed it to Naito and asked him if he could use it.

It looked too big, and he wouldn't be able to wield it as effectively as Link could wield his, but it worked. He put it away, and the two set off through the fortress.

It took them a half hour of exploring to find the tower. They fought off a lot of little imp creatures, but met nothing too threatening. They used the door that led outside to the path up the tower. It was extremely dark, as the moon and stars were covered by clouds. Nonetheless, the two treaded up the path they had used before, following it around the tower and sidling across the ledges until they were on the platform with the giant door.

Link tugged it open. Naito looked about ready to run in again, but he stopped and crept in silently. Link followed, his feet making no sound as they hit the ground. Aryll, Naito's sister, was in a giant cage in a corner along with two other young girls. All three looked up in surprise, running to the cage.

Naito smiled, and after another look at make sure nothing was coming, he ran over.

"I _told _you he'd come back!" Aryll hissed back at the other girls, who were looking at the pair curiously. "Aryll pointed at Link and asked who he was.

"This guy? His name is Link too. I don't know much about him, but I only got here because of his help." Naito explained. He also tried to open the door, wrenching uselessly at the knob.

"Well it's not gonna open THAT easily. But of course, you give no thought at all to anything you're doing!"

Both Links spun to see Tetra, Gonzo, and a third pirate standing at the entrance. She gestured at the door, and the two pirates began to work at it.

"It was pretty stupid of you BOTH to come waltzing in here like you own the place. We had to draw off that monster bird for you! Whatever. Your stupidity is not my problem. We'll take these other two girls, and bring them back… for a small reward. You can take your sister for free though, because I'm just too damn nice for my own good!" Tetra said, slowly walking towards them.

At that moment, the two pirates managed to tear the door off of its hinges. They picked up the other two girls, but at a command from Tetra they let her join Naito. He hugged her fiercely, laughing with glee.

"Look, this is nice and everything… but don't you two still have some loose ends to tie up?" Tetra said seriously.

Naito let go, stepping back. He looked at Link, and they nodded at each other.

Tetra smiled, and grabbed Aryll's hand. "Come with us. Your brother still has to take care of something. Big, important grown-up stuff. He'll see you soon, until then you can come with us to our ship." She said, surprisingly warmly.

The two pirates had left already, and Tetra, holding a struggling Aryll, followed. She turned back at the door, looked straight at Naito, and said, "We'll be back. Count on it." She then left, and the door slammed shut and locked behind her

Link's feet felt cold suddenly. He looked down to see water, slowly flooding the room. It was coming from a grate in the middle, and it showed no sign of stopping. He and Naito shared a panicked look, and the two took off for the outside of the room, where a large wooden ramp spiraled to the top.

There was a large shrieking cry, and the two stopped partway up to see the giant bird swooping in. It hovered in the middle, staring at the stunned pair. They took off as it reared its head back, darting forward. It smashed the wooden part behind them to bits, and they kept running with renewed energy.

SLAM! It plowed into the platform behind them again, much closer this time. Naito almost didn't make it, and he had to leap as it collapsed under his feet. He was having trouble keeping up with Link, but Link didn't let him fall too far behind.

They were about three quarters of the way up when the bird smartened up. It slammed its head down in front of them, forcing Link to stop. Naito almost ran into him. The area was collapsed, but the bird's beak was embedded in the wall, which meant they had time.

"How do we get across?" Naito yelled as the bird struggled to get free.

Link didn't answer. Instead, he jumped out, landing on the bird's head and springing himself to the other side. He beckoned Naito urgently. It was about a six foot jump, nothing compared to what Naito had done to Gohdan. Without hesitating, he leaped out as far as he could, and managed to land safely on the bird's head…

Rights as it finally pulled free. He almost fell, clutching the short feathers, watching the platform draw further and lower. He knew it would only get worse though, so he stepped back and put his all into one leap. He sailed through the air, but fell slightly short of the platform.

He started to scream, but a strong hand grabbed his wrist. Link was lying on the platform, arm fully outstretched. With surprising strength, Link tugged Naito back up to safety. He had time for a quick thank you before the two had to take off again.

About a minute later, the two could see the night sky ahead. They were almost there! Encouraged, they put on an extra surge of speed, panting and sweating.

The bird gave another cry, and this time it perched on the platform on top of the tower. It leaned its head onto the ramp, blocking it entirely. By unspoken agreement, both Links pulled out their hammers and kept running. Naito raised his skull hammer over his head as Link reared his megaton hammer back for a baseball swing. Naito jumped and Link tensed his knees, and both delivered a bone crushing hammer blow to the white mask protecting its face.

It made no sound. It teetered back, finally falling forward into the tower. It fell noiselessly to the bottom, splashing into the water which had stopped rising about halfway up. Naito cheered as Link watched him with amusement.

"Alright, you've had your fun. Come on… Ganondorf is waiting." Link said seriously. Naito stopped jumping for joy, nodding grimly. The two stepped onto the top of the tower, looking around. It was bordered by a low wall covered in spikes, and had one path out. This path led to the large wooden building Ganondorf dwelled in, no doubt watching them now.

The two began to walk up the path when Naito stopped. "One second!" he exclaimed, running back to the big circular opening into the tower. Link waited on the path, shuffling his feet impatiently.

"What is it?" He called as Naito stared into the tower.

"I thought I heard something!" Naito yelled back. Link was about to walk over when a gate shot up, trapping him on the path.

He swore loudly. Naito looked over and saw Link trying to break the gate.

"Get away from there!" Link yelled at Naito. Naito listened instantly, running to the edge of the platform. He was just in time too; the giant bird burst up from the tower in a flurry of feathers, hovering above to look at Naito.

"Go!" Naito yelled to Link, drawing his sword and shield.

"I'm not leaving you here!" Link yelled back, trying to clamber over.

"I can handle it! You have to get to Ganon!" Naito yelled back, rolling to the side as the bird skimmed over head, rounding for another attack.

"Alright. Be careful; don't do anything I'd do." Link told him, turning and running up the path, the triforce mark burning under his gauntlet again. He looked back only once.

**AN: As usual, please leave a review. All suggestions, comments, questions, even flames are welcome.**


	17. Ganondorf

**Responses:**

**Outofstategrl: No question, but I'll mention you anyway, so maybe you can still make your goal. I'll just say that's how I felt when I first beat TWW, and I thought I killed the boss in one go. I'll also say thanks for the review.**

**Anime Wildfire: Thanks for the suggestions, can't tell you if I'll take one because that would give stuff away! **

**ZombieDragon: Lol, can always count on you for a little constructive criticism, along with the usual broken record stuff! But I stand by those little moblins being useless… in the game, you can walk all over them with just little Link. I figured with two, they'd have it made! I'm guilty of everything else though… Well I'm done my counter-rambling, so let me just finish with the traditional "thanks for the review."**

**TheFireSage: Heh… You're embarrassing me… action scenes are the one thing I think I can say without lying I am good at.**

**Simbiot2.0: Must… obey… simbiot2.0… he is not… sending… subliminal… messages…**

**Heroftimes: I think that the gorons died off because they ran out of resources on Death Mountain, and couldn't travel anymore. Of course, there ARE those merchants… another mystery, I guess. Thanks for the review, and I'm going to share my fast updating secret. Give up eating and sleeping. **

"Link… what kept you?" Ganondorf said, standing at the other end of the room. His back was turned to Link, and he was wearing some sort of Gerudo robe, as opposed to black armour. It had a high collar, blocking the back of his head from view. He could see a bit of his orange hair at the top.

"How did you escape?" Link asked dangerously, restraining the urge to draw his blade.

"Does it matter? I think you already know, Link…" He replied, turning on the spot.

Link glared into his face. Ganondorf was smiling slightly. Calmly, he said "If it really matters, I simple gained enough power to escape after a thousand years. I was weak… but thanks to your little friend, I am strong again." He jerked his head towards a window, and Link strode over to it.

It overlooked the platform where Naito was still fighting the bird. Naito dove to avoid another overhead pass, and fired an arrow uselessly after it was it flew away to wheel around again.

"Interesting creature isn't it? I call it the Helmaroc King." Ganondorf's voice came from startlingly close. Link flinched as Ganondorf patted him on the shoulder.

"You still fear me, don't you? Heh heh heh. Don't worry. My anger has dulled… you need not die this evening." He mocked, standing directly behind Link. Link resisted the urge to spin and slash him, choosing instead to continue watching Naito through the window.

Naito stood watching the bird's descent. He prepared to dodge, but it landed on the platform instead, shrieking again. It strutted over to him, rearing its head back. It slammed it forward, and he back flipped out of the way. Its beak got stuck in the ground for a few seconds, just enough time for him to deal a resounding hit with his hammer.

The bird wrenched free, shrieking again. It planted its feet, and began to flap its wings at Naito. A strong wind picked up, and Naito was blown over backward, sliding along the ground. He realized the wall was rimmed with spikes, and tried to clutch the stone. Failing that, he drew his bow, trying to aim a shot. He lined his arrow up with the bird's right eye, holding it steady. The wind was stronger and he was going faster, making it hard to aim. He released the arrow, which cut through the wind and into the eye. It shrieked and stopped, taking off again and blinking. The bird was too big for it to have done any serious damage, but it still hurt it.

Link watched all this happen from the window. Ganondorf was standing behind him, watching him with what seemed to be amusement.

"He's putting up a good fight. Who is he? I would have thought he was the Hero of Time reincarnated, except you are not dead. The goddesses brought you here, I know it. But where does he fit in?" Ganondorf said. Link didn't know if he was talking to himself or Link, but he didn't care either.

"No matter. I need the triforce you hold. If you simple give it to me, I can call off the bird. You can both go free. I know longer have need of my petty revenge. Just give it to me." Ganondorf said.

Link slowly turned to face him, shaking his head.

"Don't be foolish! You don't have the Master Sword, so you pose no threat to me. If I must take it by force, you die." He said, drawing a long, thing blade with a golden handle.

They stood like that for several seconds while Naito continued to fight the bird outside. "What is your choice?" Ganondorf asked.

Link crouched low and darted forward at Ganondorf, and leapt into the air with a spinning slash. It all happened in the space of a second, but the blade raked uselessly across Ganondorf's chest. Ganondorf sighed, grabbing Link's arm with his free hand and flinging him back to the other side of the room. He landed hard with a grunt.

Ganondorf put his sword away. "I see you will resist. I can wait; you cannot harm me." He said, turning around and looking through a window at the sky.

Meanwhile, outside, Naito was watching the bird approach again. It lowered its claws and scraped them along the ground toward him. He jumped and grabbed the bird's leg, and was carried out over the ocean. He shimmied up the rough, scaly skin, grabbing some feathers at the top. He scrambled in among the feathers, which helped block the strong winds. He climbed up until he was on the bird's back, crouched low against the wind.

The bird didn't seem to know where he had gone. It was swooping around the tower and over it, searching the entire fortress. He used this to his advantage, crawling along the bird toward the neck. He drew the hammer again, slowly but surely shimmying close to the head. When he was in range, he raised the hammer over his head, and slammed it forward.

It hit the where its forehead would be, dead center. A small shockwave was created, and cracks ran across the mask. It shrieked and gave its head a large flick, sending Naito flying back. He threw out an arm and grabbed hold of a windowsill near the top of the tower. He scrambled up, and stood with his back to the bars that covered the window. His feet hung slightly over the edge, which was about a hundred meter drop. His palms began to sweat.

He heard the bird shriek again, and leaned forward slightly to see it approaching from the right, looking for him. It had no mask, and he could see a large yellow spot on its forehead. It was flying sideways, looking at all the windows on this level. It would be almost a three meter jump, much farther than anything he had done before now. Its wing was in view now, and it was still coming. When he decided it was close enough, he pushed himself forward and took the leap of faith…

Link watched some of this happen through the window, after deciding Ganondorf wasn't attacking him. He saw up until Naito had been sent flying off the bird's head, vanishing from view. He sword loudly, and Ganondorf walked over to him at the noise, looking himself.

"He's not dead. Not yet anyway. The bird would come back to me if he was. But he will be unless you give me what I want." Ganondorf said.

It was as he said this that Link realized how different Ganondorf was acting. He seemed to have mellowed out or something; he was acting very calm. More than that, he seemed depressed. Not quite depressed, more melancholy and preoccupied, distant. He had definitely changed from when Link had fought him. What had caused this? What did he want?

He jumped suddenly as the bird shrieked again, louder than ever before. He looked out the window again, and Ganondorf did the same.

The bird was flying over the tower and shrieking, and he could see why. Naito was on its head with his sword planted firmly in its skull. He jumped off as it cruised over and rolled to his feet as he landed. The bird was flying out over the ocean now, and all the spot lights were turning to watch it go.

Ganondorf watched all this emotionlessly, before turning and walking over to where he had originally stood again. Link glanced at him briefly before turning back to the scene outside. Naito was jumping for joy and swinging the Master Sword wildly. Link stared at the sword, which was just a black outline. Nonetheless, something seemed off… but before he could figure out what it was, Naito had started up the path at full speed.

Naito ran up the path as fast as he could. He had wasted enough time cheering, but he had to remember how important this was. Link had been in there alone with the King of Evil for almost fifteen minutes. He stopped briefly in front of the large door, and took a deep breath. Without hesitating further, he opened it and stepped inside.

He expected to see Link and Ganon deep in combat, but was surprised by what he saw. Link was standing up ahead a bit, staring at Ganondorf's back. Ganondorf himself was staring out a window.

"It's been a while, boy. I expected your friend to make it, but I am surprised you survived to get this far." Ganondorf said, obviously to Naito.

"What do you mean? You know him?" Naito asked Ganondorf, confused.

Ganondorf laughed quietly, turning to face them. "You mean you don't know who he is? He never told you?" he laughed louder, and raised his bare hand. The triforce mark on the back burned brightly, and Link suddenly collapsed to his knees with a gasp. Naito looked at him, and his eyes widened at the golden glow shining brightly even through the gauntlet. Link tugged the glove off quickly as if it were hurting him, standing back up after he did so. Naito gasped as he saw the golden triangle mark there too.

"One thousand years ago we fought. I admit he got the better of me, and he sealed me away. He is the 'hero' from your legends. His seal held for a long time, and it would have held my true strength longer. But you, boy, when you drew that sword and my minions were freed from the goddesses curse… you gave me my power!" Ganondorf said.

Naito glared at him, sword drawn. He raised it back and gave a cry, charging forward. Link tried to stop him but he darted past and swung at Ganondorf.

CLANG! There was a flash of light, and when it cleared Naito was crouched on the ground in front of Ganondorf, who stood unharmed. Ganondorf reared his leg back, and kicked Naito over onto his back.

"You cannot defeat me with a blade that no longer holds the power to repel evil! Its power is gone and its edges are dull! Tell that to the fools who made this blade!" He said with a tinge of anger, drawing his sword again. Link tried to run forward, but Ganondorf waved his other hand at him. Rings of dark purple energy encircled him, binding him in place. He raised his sword over Naito, preparing to strike.

There was a muffled thud. All three looked over to see Tetra, who had just come in through a window.

"Naito! Get up!" She called, running forward. She jumped at Ganondorf, punching him in the face. She flipped over him and reached for her sword, but he spun and grabbed her by the throat. She struggled, but he lifted her up effortlessly.

"Who do you think you are, you worthless sea rat!" He growled. His expression turned from malice to confusion, however, as his triforce mark began to glow.

"What? It is resonating… at last I found you… Zelda!" he shouted with triumph.

"I… don't know what… you're talking about!" Tetra choked out.

"Don't feign ignorance, it will get you nowhere!" Ganondorf snarled, tightening his grip. She began to choke again, her face losing its colour. Naito got up and prepared to attack, but he didn't need to. In the blink of an eye, Tetra was gone. Link went next, and the last thing Naito saw before he was whisked off too was Ganondorf's confused expression.

He looked up to see a Rito carrying him away by his arms. He twisted around to look back, and saw Valoo outside of Ganon's chamber, hovering there. He reared back, and ignited Ganondorf's wooden room with a stream of fire. The scene faded rapidly away as the Ritos carried the trio to an unknown location.

**AN: So uh… please review?**


	18. Zelda

**AN: Heh… sorry this took so long. I wasn't that into this chapter, so it felt like a chore. But thanks for all the reviews, if you reiewed you are officially awesome.**

**Responses:**

**Outofstategrl: Nah, I don't mind questions at all. I'm basing this off of how mellow Ganondorf seemed in TWW, it seemed like he cooled off over time. He was definitely very different; I just sort of went with that Ganondorf for this story. Thanks for the review!**

**ZombieDragon: the game doesn't give a title for the bosses, but the names are on the internet, probably from Nintendo. You can try googling them or something, I can't remember where I learned them. I know the first boss is called Gohma, I don't know the second, The head in tower of the gods is Gohdan, the bird is Helmaroc King, I don't know the giant poe, and the final temple boss, the green worm thing, is Molgera. Thanks for the review; I guess I was a little preoccupied with Ganon and Link's confrontation to go very in depth with the battle outside.**

**Link Fangirl01: Huh? Asked what? Now I'm confused… uh… thanks for the review?**

**halomasterchief: One thing I've always liked about The Wind Waker is how much more interesting Ganondorf's character was. He wasn't just some random evil ruler trying to kill everything. Oh, and by the way, I feel the same about the final boss fights. Twilight Princess had the best of them all, although I personally liked the Wind Waker one a bit better than the Ocarina of Time one, with the water pouring down and all. They were all great, of course.**

**Simbiot2.0: Aha! I caught that "b" in "update." I am immune to your mind control powers…**

The Ritos dropped the trio off at the Tower of the Gods, where The King of Red Lions was waiting. Tetra was lying limply on the boat, Link was staring into the water, and Naito was looking concerned as he watched Tetra. One of the Ritos, Quill, told Naito that Tetra was simply unconscious.

Valoo had caught up to them and was now perched on the white wall lining the tower.

"Lord Valoo! You are not a moment too soon. We are deeply grateful."

Valoo answered in ancient Hylian, so Naito didn't understand. Link did, but he didn't offer a translation, listening silently instead. "It is too soon for us to relax. Ganon cannot be destroyed by wrath and fire." The great dragon said.

"I am aware of this. Still, our first priority was to get these two out of Ganon's grasp. You realize what has happened to the sword?" The boat replied.

"I have. Very well then, I leave you here. We are counting on you." The dragon said, taking off and flying north and the ritos did the same.

"Naito! Link! We must return to the world beneath the ocean!" The King exclaimed as the ring of light appeared again.

They cruised into it, and were slowly drawn beneath the surface again. They came out below in front of the familiar Hyrule Castle. As soon as they hit the bottom, Naito began questioning Link.

"You are the Hero of Time?" He asked.

Link didn't respond.

"But… how are you here?" Naito asked.

"I was here in the castle, and I was frozen like all those monsters were. For some reason, I awoke earlier." He said after a long pause.

"So you defeated Ganondorf, like in the legend?" Naito asked in awe.

Link nodded.

"And you have the Triforce piece?"

Link nodded again.

"But… why are you here?"

Link looked at him briefly, and then stared up at the water above. "I don't know." He said bluntly.

Naito looked ready to say something else, but just then Tetra began to stir. Both Links looked down at her as she slowly sat up.

"Ow… you guys are alright? Say… where the hell am I?" She asked, scrambling to her feet.

A voice spoke suddenly through the stone Tetra had given Naito. "You must bring her to the room where the Master Sword dwelt."

"What? Who are you… how are you talking through that stone?!" Tetra shouted uselessly at it.

The voice spoke again, "You are Tetra? You must follow these two immediately."

"Don't you sound important… alright, we're coming!" She snapped, stepping off the boat and heading toward the large doors. Link and Naito scrambled after her.

The three entered the castle silently, walking toward the large statue. It was open for them, revealing the staircase beneath. They headed won, their footsteps seeming deafening in the silence of the large building.

The first thing they saw when they got down was a large figure in a red robe, with his back turned to them. He was standing about where the Master Sword once was. The trio walked up behind him, stopping a few paces away. All was silent until Tetra spoke up.

"Well? Are you the one talking through my stone? Answer me!" She commanded to his back.

Silence rang out for several seconds before he responded, "That stone of an advanced version of the gossip stones spoken of in Hyrulean legends. I created it."

"You? The royal family's gossip stones? What the hell are you talking about?" Tetra asked irritably. Naito looked confused, but Link was watching the figure with an odd expression in his face, surprise, anger, and relief all seemed written there.

"Don't you understand? This is the place of legend… Hyrule… and I am its king." He said grimly, whirling to face them. "Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule. Do you recognize my voice Naito? I am the King of Red Lions."

"You!" Link gasped, before Naito could respond. "Wha-… what… WHY AM I HERE?!" Link burst out.

The king regarded him carefully. "It is unclear to me why you were sent here. Know only that the goddesses must have a purpose for sending you here. Hundreds of years ago… the goddesses drowned Hyrule, for it was the only way to protect it from Ganon. The goddesses commanded many people to take refuge in the mountaintops before sealing it away. These were your ancestors." He said, turning his attention to Naito and Tetra.

"Why are you telling us this?" Tetra asked. He focused his steely gaze on Tetra now. He pulled something from his robe, and held it out to them. Link felt his Triforce piece resonate, as he saw what the king was holding. It was a shard of brilliant gold, a triangular frame. As he held it out, Tetra's necklace floated out from her jacket and out in front of her, and Link saw a small triangle on it, glowing.

"The necklace you wear is part of the sacred treasure of Hyrule; the Triforce of Wisdom. Your mother gave it to you to protect, correct? It is time for you to awaken, not as Tetra, but as Zelda! Descendant of the princess of Hyrule!" He said, thrusting the piece of gold toward her.

The shard on her necklace broke off and combined with the other piece, slipping into the frame and forming a solid gold triangle. It shot out rays of light, and then shot forward into Tetra's chest. She gasped and a flash of light blinded all who watched. As it cleared, it revealed that Tetra had changed. She now sported a white dress and elaborately done hair, triforce earrings, and white gloves. Naito stared at her in awe, Link's expression was unreadable.

"My name… is Zelda… I'm… a princess?" Zelda stammered.

"You are confused… all will become clear. For now, we must stop Ganon. Naito! I am sorry you were caught up in this. But now it will only get more dangerous. He will search frantically for Zelda, and that means he will grow more dangerous. Innocent lives will be lost. All is not lost however; I have a suspicion about what happened to the Master Sword. We must head back above the surface immediately. Zelda… it is too dangerous for you to get involved. You must stay here, where it is safe. Link, Naito, we must head back above the waves." The king said, slowly fading away.

Link turned to go and Naito followed, but they stopped as Tetra spoke up. "Link… Naito… I'm so sorry. It's all been my fault, Aryll, you two getting caught up in all this… I'm truly sorry." She said in an oddly serious tone.

Naito smiled nonchalantly, turning and waving it off. Link didn't turn, but before heading off he said, "It is not your fault. It all comes back to Ganon."

Back above the surface, the boat, or king, began to explain his theory. He told them how he believed the two sages who gave the Master Sword its power must have been killed. He explained that they must awaken two new sages and bring them into the main chamber of their respective temples. He also told Link where to mark on their sea chart, one to the far north and the other to the far south.

"Now then. We must get going. Staying in one place for too long is no longer safe, lest Ganon should locate us. Sail to the south! Some indication of the new sage will be in the temple." The king said, as Naito adjusted the sail and Link took up his position at the rudder. As the wind picked up, they sailed off to the south.

Just as their destination rose up from the horizon, they saw it. A large ship with Ganondorf's symbol on the flag was heading in from their left to intercept them. It was a bit smaller than then Tetra's. Link swore softly, locking the rudder in place and slinking around Naito to the front. He readied the cannon, steadying it against the rocking motion of the boat. He was counting on the fact that Ganondorf seemed to want them alive, no doubt for the Triforce of Courage.

As soon as he deemed them close enough, Link lit the fuse. The bomb launched out of the cannon, soaring through the air and landing in the water just beside the enemy ship.

Link swore, and then almost fell over as the boat shook. A bokoblin on the other ship had fired a small cannon, but instead of a bomb or cannonball it was what looked like a fish on a chain. The fish wasn't actually a fish, but it resembled one and had teeth. It snapped shut automatically on the boat, securing itself to them. Link tried to pull it off, but to no avail.

The ship let them sail by, but as the chain pulled tight they were jerked to a stop. Link and Naito barely stayed on the boat, which spun sideways before stopping. Naito lowered the sail, amazed the boat hadn't been damaged. They started to move again, being reeled in by the other ship.

"What do we do?" Naito asked quickly. Link was examining the chain, and got a sudden idea. He reached into his second bomb bag, and as he had hoped he had a bombchu. Just one, but that could be enough. He turned to Naito and whispered some instructions.

"Get the sail ready. Prepare to continue on to the island."

Naito nodded, getting into position. Link pulled out the bombchu, which was about as big as his fist. He set it on the chain, and it started forward. It nearly fell off, but it had a strong grip and just continued along upside-down on the underside of the chain.

The bokoblins pointed curiously, unsure what it was. They knew five seconds later when it exploded, smashing the cannon it had been fired from to bits. The fish-thing let go suddenly and fell into the water, chain trailing uselessly after it. While all this was happening Link had shouted for Naito to go, and by the time they were free they were sailing toward the smudge in the distance.

The ship turned to try and pursue them, but Link had prepared. He charged an ice arrow, aiming a bit in front of the ship. He summoned more ice than usual, draining a good chunk of magic. He released, and it instantly formed what he wanted. A large iceberg with a jagged top rose as if from nowhere. It was way too late for the ship to turn, and the ice tore a large chunk off of the hull before it was destroyed. The ship began to list to the side, losing what little momentum it had gained. It was almost completely under by the time it was merely a speck in the distance.

**AN: Next chapter will be up in a while, shouldn't take as long. Please review!**


	19. Sage of Earth

**AN: You're going to hate me. Not only did this take long (I wasted valuable writing time doing trivial things like eating and sleeping,) but its short. Very short. Easily the shortest yet...**

**Outofstategrl: Yeah, I pretty much made up the fish on a chain thing. At first it was more of a harpoon on a rope, but I changed it to a fish to avoid doing major damage to the boat. Then I made it a chain so Link couldn't just cut it. Thanks for the review! (By the way, you might be thinking of the Wind Temple, I'm pretty sure you use the iron boots/hookshot combo in there a couple of times.**

**Simbiot2.0: No "k" in quick, no "l"s in will or "h" in have, and no "m" in amounts. Oh, and no "I" in will… heh heh heh…**

**Freakyanimegal456: You don't have to be so apologetic! It's ok not to like one of my chapters, I appreciate the review anyway.**

**Herooftimes: Oops, sorry, I somehow missed you last time. I'll respond to both reviews here. I think Link does rely on the Master Sword a lot, but he has to. It seems like the Triforce of Power protects Ganon from death to anything but the Master Sword. I was just going off of what happens in Wind Waker, where Ganon was invincible to the Master Sword when it lost its power. And yes, I love the final battle A LOT. I'm pretty sure Ganondorf genuinely wanted Hyrule back like you say; he was sort of… living in the past. I don't really know what the king's deal is… I think he's like a wizard or something, if he was a ghost it would defeat the purpose of his "death" in the end. I really don't know why he would have been immortal though… I really don't know. And he didn't get the triforce because… uh… ask the triforce, doesn't make any sense to me really. Wow. That's one long response, so I'm not going to waste any more space except to say that no, I didn't know that thing about Phantom Ganon's sword. Kind of interesting though…**

**Link Fangirl01: Oh, I got it. I don't mind if your repeating yourself as long as it isn't a flame!**

The island was a small beach, with a small mountain peak covering a half of it. Link and Naito dragged the King of Red Lions onto the beach, before approaching the mountain peak. A giant stone head was blocking what seemed to be a way in. Naito rapped it with his fist. Solid stone.

"Oh. Great. Just absolutely perfect. Now what? I suppose, you'll pull some crazy super bomb, or mega statue mover, or…" Naito began to gripe, but was cut off as Link placed his hands at the bottom of the statue. Link grunted, and slowly lifted it up off the ground, raising it above his head. He stood there for a minute, tendons on his neck standing out and his arms shaking, before giving it a might heave. He put his while body into it, tossing it backward over his head. It landed in the water, a fair distance away.

"Or you'll just perform a superhuman feat of strength. How did you do that?" Naito finished.

Link sighed, and quickly showed him the golden gauntlets he had slipped on. He then took them off and replaced them with the silver, explaining to Naito that he wore these usually because they were easier to control. With that out of the way, the two entered the cave before them.

Only to find another large rock blocking the next entrance. This one was stuck to the ground. It was blue, with inscriptions on the front that seemed to depict a song. Naito examined these, deciding to do something productive instead of complaining. They marked movements and timing for a conductor's baton.

"Can you play it?" Link asked, now studying them as well.

Naito nodded hesitantly, drawing the wind waker. It was confusing, and he was a bit nervous at first. But as soon as he began, it all seemed easy. He moved fluidly, and didn't even notice as Link joined in on the ocarina. There also seemed to be a harp, but it barely registered with him. He continued the complex pattern, and the gods' voices and ocarina and harp all blended into a haunting yet cheerful melody.

"O great heroes, chosen ones of the land!" A female voice rang out.

Both Naito and Link snapped their heads up. A large Zora spirit was floating, looking down at them with gentle eyes. She hovered with graveful ease, smiling sadly.

"My name is Laruto. I was the Zoran sage of earth… I was one of the two that maintained the temples that would give the Master Sword its power. You Link, you used it to defeat Ganon. I have lived on, hidden from the world but at peace, praying for the power of the sword even as it was moved to Hyrule Castle. Ganon returned in a red wrath, and discovered my existence. I was murdered within this very temple by him personally. He removed my very soul, knowing that the sword would lose its strength. The only hope for the land is for you to find my descendant, whom resides in Dragon Roost Island and carries an instrument like mine." She said, showing them a golden harp.

"The song you just conducted is the Earth God's Lyric. Play it for the new sage, and awaken their power within." She finished, fading away even as she said it.

Link watched all this with interest. This was a whole new tale to the sword he thought he knew. What a terrible existence it must be… having to spend eternity in a temple so that he could use the sword for about a month. Naito seemed lost, but Link understood. This was similar to what he had to do with the six sages of Hyrule.

"Come on. We should get to Dragon Roost quickly, and awaken the next sage." Naito said, surprising Link. Maybe he was underestimating the kid's intelligence. He nodded, and the two headed back to the boat.

Dragon Roost took them several hours to reach, but they made it alright. Naito hopped out, and beckoned Link to follow.

"I think you should do this yourself. You have the Wind Waker, the tool needed to awaken the sages. This is your duty." Link said.

Naito shrugged, and hiked up the mountain trail to the home of the Rito. He didn't know what to do from here, so he explored. He searched inside and out, looking for a golden harp. At one point he found himself on a balcony, and as he turned to leave he heard a faint harp sound from above and to the left. Wasting no time, he used his grapple to swing to a ledge and then climbed the craggy rock face to the ledge up top.

Medli was the source of the music. She was looking out over the ocean, with her back turned to him. Most importantly, she was playing a golden harp, one that exactly resembled Laruto's. She must have heard him coming, for she turned around before he could say anything.

"Oh! Naito! You're ok! That's good… Komali was wondering if you were alright. You've become something of an idol to him! We can rest easy now…" She said.

Naito smiled a bit, embarrassed, and scratched the back of his head.

"Well, I should keep practicing. Playing music is an important duty for an attendant…" She said. Link pulled out the Wind Waker as she said this, a bit unsure how to do this.

"Hey! A conductor's baton! Will you conduct me?" She asked.

Naito nodded, calling the Earth God's Lyric to mind. He began to move the baton, again slipping into that calm feeling as he conducted. Medli joined in, playing along on her harp. He finished with a quick slashing motion, and the silence rang out for a little while. Medli stood absolutely still before collapsing without warning.

Naito gasped and dove forward with unexpected speed. He slid to one knee and caught her before she hit the ground. He knelt there for about two minutes, unsure of what to do. He was about to go for help when she opened her eyes.

"Just now… a sage spoke to me… her voice was so gentle. Link… I now know just who I am. There is something I must do, as I'm sure you know. You must take me to the earth temple… immediately, before Komali comes. I wish him to remember me as a simple attendant." She said, getting up quickly.

Back in the boat, Link waited with growing apprehension. He was starting to wonder if he should go find him when he saw Naito and Medli coming down the trail. So Medli was the sage…

He waved to them, and they waved back. The approached the boat and got in carefully. It was a tight fit, but everyone was on and relatively comfortable. They raised the sail and cast away immediately, worried about Ganon finding them.

They sailed long into the night before they finally reached the temple. Link was expecting Ganon to have sent some creatures to wait for them, but it was empty. They got out of the boat into the ankle deep water, and approached the temple.

"This is it. Link and Naito, you must protect Medli all the way to the central room. If Ganon has killed the sage… he will have left terrible creatures behind. Guard each other… and stay close." The King said.

Link nodded, looking down at the other two. He wasn't very happy with how things were playing out. He spent the first two dungeons watchin gout for Naito, and now that Naito could defend himself he had Medli tagging along. She didn't even have a weapon! He missed his solo dungeon expeditions.

He quickly unclipped his pouch of deku nuts from his belt, and passed them to Medli. "Throw these down and close your eyes. They make a bright flash of light, use one if you get in trouble." He said.

She thanked him, clipping it to her own belt. That done, Link led the way into the dark tomb before them. Naito and Medli followed quickly, wanting to get this over with.

**AN: Review! Thought I'd shake things up a bit by leaving out the "please."**


	20. Earth Temple, Part 1

**AN: Really, really sorry it took so long. I had some... homework issues, then I had no urge to write, and the temple almost got boring before it even really started... but I think I'm ok now. Thanks to all who reviewed.**

**Responses:**

**Outofstategrl: Yeah, She'll use them at some point. When I was doing the temple in the game I would have killed for her to have **_**something**_**. She got taken away by those stupid hands so many times…**

**Simbiot2.0: Wow. That's not creepy. Lol, thanks for the review.**

**Freakyanimegal456: Wow, that's what my teacher keeps saying… oh well, thanks for the review anyway.**

Link led the way into a small, dome shaped room. In the middle, there was something resembling a well. There was no exit from the room aside from the way they entered from. Link peered down the well, and used a light arrow to illuminate it for a short while. He saw ground below, and realized it was the true entrance. The earth temple seemed more and more like a tomb…

"Don't come down until I say." Link told the other two before leaping over the small side and plummeting to the ground below. He crouched low at the impact, which was minimal. He had landed in soft earth which broke his fall nicely.

The room was lit by blue lanterns that cast eerie blue light around. It was dead silent; not even a rat was moving. The air felt thick and oppressive, but there was no danger as far as he could tell, so he yelled up for Naito and Medli.

Medli came down first, landing gracefully with help from her wings. Naito followed, landing ungracefully on his back. He hopped to his feet quickly and got a look around.

Link saw an exit, and took large steps through the soft dirt towards it. Just as Naito and Medli followed, a shape rose out of the dirt before them. Link instantly recognized it as a redead, although it was blue and not brown. He reached for his sword but it let out a shriek and its eyes flashed, and he was rooted to the spot. It bore down on him, baring its sharp teeth, ready to drain his life force.

"Hya!" Naito let out a little scream as he leaped through the air at it, right over Link. He flipped over the redead and slashed its head, then performed a quick spin attack as he landed. Link broke free of its hold and drew his sword. He jumped up into the air about a foot and spun before delivering a powerful blow to the redead's neck. It was beheaded, and the body lay down slowly as if taking a nap. It lay still, rapidly decomposing into dirt. This made Link wonder what all this other dirt was, but decided it was best not to think about it.

The three entered the next room quickly. Link raised his hand as soon as they entered, signaling for Naito and Medli to stop. Naito rolled his eyes and whispered, "I'm not stupid."

Link ignored him. He focused his sensitive ears on the footsteps from in the room. There were stairs leading up into the main part of the room in front of them, which meant most of the room was out of sight. He heard three heavy creatures shuffling about, probably moblins. He whispered this to Naito, who drew his little sword and shield.

Link did the same, and they crept up the stairs after telling Medli to wait. As soon as they got to the top, they dashed forward. The room was very big, with a staircase leading nowhere to the left and a door leading elsewhere at the other side of the room. There was a moblin at the top of the staircase to nowhere, but he didn't see them. The other two moblins ran at them as soon as they charged into the open.

Link ran into a moblin head on. He leaped at the last second and drop kicked its chest. He back flipped off of it to his feet as it fell over backward, and jumped into the air with his sword planted down to finish it. It batted him out of the air with its spear shaft, and got clumsily but quickly to its feet. Link rolled to the side as he landed, and drew his hammer as the moblin jumped at him awkwardly. He threw the hammer with both hands, and it spun into its skull with lethal speed. There was a loud crack and the moblin landed like a rag doll a few feet in front of him with a smashed skull.

Meanwhile, Naito reached the other moblin and stopped just out of its range. It swung and missed, then he darted forward as it was off balance. He was just about to strike when it swung viciously the other way. He ducked under it and jumped at its head, but it surprised him with a head butt. He flew back onto the ground, clutching his stomach in pain. The moblin's head felt like a block of stone. It was bearing down on him, but he wasn't done yet. He carefully got a bomb ready, shielding it from view behind his body. The moblin was a few strides away, spear high in the air to stab him with. As it plunged the weapon down, he moved the bomb and rolled back, leaving the bomb in his place. He hopped back as he got to his feet, and the moblin's spear plunged into the center of the bomb. A split second later it went off, hurling the badly burned moblin back. It didn't get up again.

He sheathed his sword easily, almost gracefully. He was starting to wonder how he had ever managed without the sword, it felt like part of him now. With that done, he looked over at Link, who had just pulled his hammer out of the skull of the other moblin. Naito walked over to him to find out what he should do next.

Before he could say anything, Link drew his bow. He shot an arrow at the same time as Naito spun and unsheathed his sword, thrusting it forward. His sword pierced the stomach of the moblin sneaking up on him. The arrow flew by mere centimeters from his head and slammed into the moblin's shoulder, pushing it back off the sword. It swayed, bleeding blue blood from its two wounds, before collapsing.

"Smooth. I had him you know; almost clipping my ear off didn't help." Naito commented. He then sheathed his weapon and walked back to get Medli while Link scoured the room.

The door was the only other way out, so Link called Naito and Medli over to it. He pushed up on it, and it opened in a cloud of dust. They stepped into the next room slowly. It was dark, illuminated by a single beam of light in the center of the room. Link caught a slight sound, something like a splash, and instantly tensed.

He peered into the darkness, and realized a pair of orange eyes was peering back at him. He pushed Medli back and ran forward as his eyes adjusted. It jumped at him and he back flipped into the beam of light. He quickly drew his mirror shield and shined the light on it. For a moment the "fearsome" beast was illuminated. It was nothing but a tall, very dark purple blob of jelly with eyes. Then it turned to stone under the strong beam of light.

Link put the mirror shield on his back and put away the Hylian shield. He had a feeling he would need the mirror shield more often here. He beckoned over Medli and Naito, and they came quickly. The three proceeded to the next room, which was much bigger and brighter. There was a giant statue of a sun across from them over a large, shallow pit of blue and purple fog. They were on a ledge overlooking this with two beams of light shining down from the roof.

Link noticed the sun statue looked like a large version of the mini ones he had seen in the Spirit Temple. He got under some light and reflected a beam at the statue, half of which began to glow bright yellow. When he tried to light the other half however, the first part faded back to dull grey.

He then did what he had learned to do during his travels. He scoured the room while Medli watched and Naito tried to help. He looked for hidden mirrors, switches, alternate routes, everything. He tried hunting through the fog, which made it impossible to draw his sword for a while and obscured his vision. He was just about to head into the previous room when he noticed Medli's golden harp.

It looked shiny enough. "Can you try standing over here?" He asked, showing her the spot. He also showed her where to hold her harp, and as he had hoped it reflected the light and lit up half.

He strode to the other beam and used his mirror shield. The other half lit up and the sun statue smiled while glowing brightly. The fog faded, and a staircase appeared under the statue. Link led the way down quickly, and through the door at the bottom.

The door slammed shut behind them. There was a great shrieking cry that pierced the three to the very soul. Definitely redeads, and it sounded like a lot. They were on a ledge, but they couldn't see what was below from their angle. Link shook off the effect quickest, followed by Naito. Medli kept her back pressed to the door, breathing rapidly.

"Should we check it out?" Naito asked.

Link nodded, crouching low. The two crept to the edge, wincing at another shriek. They peered over the edge, and gasped at what they saw. There were at least twenty redeads down there, and all forty or so red eyes were staring right back at them. Link felt like his very blood had frozen in his veins. Naito didn't look any better. They slowly backed away from the edge.

"What now?" Naito asked grimly.

Link cast his gaze around the room. The ceiling and walls were all plain dirt, the ledge they were on was stone; that was about it. He looked over at Naito and said, "I have something else to teach you with your magic."

Naito nodded, listening. Link told him to draw his bow, and he did so.

"This is a lot like the spin attack. You just have to force magic into your arrow. But it's a bit harder, pure energy just snaps arrows. You have to focus it into an element, ice or fire for now. I can't describe how it works; when you get it you get it." Link explained.

Naito nodded, preparing an arrow. He closed his eyes, and Link watched as his arm tensed from the invisible current of energy. The arrow flashed green and shattered, spraying splinters of wood and metal.

"Close. As it flows through you, focus on shaping it into something. Try ice, that's what we need now." Link said.

Naito nodded again, another arrow ready. He tried again, and this time a blue mist surrounded the arrow. But then the mist became overly thick and the arrow splintered again.

"You had it. Do it again, but you have to stop the rush of magic, or it becomes too much. Arrows are a lot weaker than your sword." Link told him.

Naito nodded yet again, nocking another arrow. This time the arrow turned an icy white as a blue mist again surrounded it. Link saw Naito's jaw clench as he stopped the energy, and the arrow stayed blue. He fired it at the ceiling, and a large, jagged icicle formed.

Link nodded, smiling slightly. The smile turned into a grimace as another shriek rang out. "I hope you can do that quickly and easily. My life depends on it." He said grimly.

"What do you want me to do?" Naito asked.

"I'm leaping down. Freeze one before I jump, than cover me with ice or fire, if you can. Just make sure the first one you freeze is close enough for me to jump to." Link told him.

Naito didn't question him. Instead he charged another ice arrow, eyes open this time. He crept to the ledge, and made his shot. Link didn't wait to see if he made it, and ran at the ledge. He saw the large chunk of ice he was aiming for and leapt to that. He forced energy into his sword as he twirled it point down. Orange energy leaped to the blade, crackling like electricity. He slammed it down as he landed on the ice chunk, throwing all his weight into it. The energy leaped out and the chunk of ice exploded violently. Razor sharp shards of ice flew in all directions, peppering the redeads with a lethal ice volley. Some collapsed, gaping wounds that bled no blood covering their rubbery bodies. Others were stunned, and all were thrown into chaos. Several shrieked, but none made eye contact and Link was able to shake it off easily.

Naito began his deadly volley. Link saw one redead go up in flames, screeching and flailing. Another was frozen in place. Link jumped at one from behind and rammed his sword right through its back. The redeads here were different than the ones he usually fought; these were blue and bigger, and had no blood as opposed to the green blood from redeads he was used to. They were similar enough that the same strategies worked however, and he and Naito were able to do some major damage. They were near the end when Link felt cold, clammy flesh grab him from behind. The redead pinned his arms to his sides, completely enfolding him. He felt hot, rancid breath on his neck before it placed its dry, cold mouth over him. It didn't exactly bite him; it was more like heavy suction. He tensed instantly, quivering on the spot as his life energy began to drain. He tried to fight but he kept getting weaker. Blackness swam into the edge of his vision. Faintly he heard Naito cry something about not having a clear shot, and the darkness overcame him.


	21. Earth Temple, Part 2

**Responses:**

**Simbiot2.0: Oh, you're punny. And thanks for the… information on Chuck Norris there. I'll keep that in mind.**

**Outofstategrl: Don't get me started on redeads… they scarred me for life back when I played OOT in grade 4. And you're right about the mirror shield; I just rearrange the temples to throw in some variety and make them more interesting in story form.**

**HerofTimes: Dark Link… yeah, I like him too just because he's so mysterious, you can make him whatever you want in stories. I might have him show up sooner or later, I'm not really sure if or when I'll put him in. Pretty good idea though, maybe you should try writing something about Dark Link in Majora's Mask… I'd read it.**

Naito watched the redead ensnare Link from the ledge above.

"Move! I can't get a clear shot!" He yelled uselessly. He gave up, and put his bow away. He carefully slid over the edge, bent his knees as he landed, and sprung himself forward. He landed on the redead's shoulders, and slammed his sword through its head sideways to avoid getting Link. It pierced through with sickening ease, but the redead didn't stop.

He drew the sword out and flipped off backward before he lost his balance. The redead was almost three times as tall as him… he wished he wasn't so small. He slashed the redead's back once, twice, again and again, leaving countless large gashes. Still the redead didn't even flinch.

"Close your eyes!" Medli shrieked. Naito spun and looked up just in time. There was a loud, sudden and brief crackle noise behind him. There was a flash of light, and even with his face turned away it hurt his eyes. He spun around again, squinting his eyes against the residual light. The redead was flailing around, its prey forgotten. He got his hammer out, twirled it around his head with both hands and brought it down full force on the redead's skull. Its head bent at an unnaturally angle and the entire body was driven down to the ground. Naito didn't let up; instead he hit it again and again, grinding it into the dirt. It decomposed quickly, eventually gone from sight.

He ran over to Link, who was collapsed on the ground ahead. He examined his neck, and found where the redead had been draining his energy. The skin there was pale, unnaturally pale. It looked dead to Naito, and he shuddered as the thought crossed his mind.

Medli had jumped down now too, and was looking at Link over Naito's shoulder. Naito asked her if she knew anything about healing, and she told him she didn't.

Naito tried to remember what little he had learned on his island. He put a finger over Link's neck, and felt a weak pulse. His chest was also rising shallowly. He was alive, then.

He tried to shake Link awake, but it didn't work. He sat back, deciding to just wait it out and hope for the best.

Link suddenly began twitching. Naito hopped to his feet, unsure what to do. Link began muttering something, twisting his head from side to side. Link began to step forward when Link hopped to his feet with a cry of rage, and thrust his sword into a nearby wall. He stood frozen like that, coming to his senses. He wrenched his sword out of the wall, and sheathed it. He turned around to face Naito and Medli.

"Sorry about that… not a good dream." He said casually, forcing a smile onto his face. He stepped forward weakly, and then closed his eyes and used some magic to compensate for his weakness. With a quick shake of his head he was able to walk more steadily.

He thanked Naito and Medli quickly before leading both of them to the other door, which was straight across from the ledge. Just before they left there was a sudden flash of light from behind them, and a chest appeared. Naito jogged over to it, opening it carefully. There was a glint of light inside, and he reached toward it before drawing out the most intricate shield he had ever seen.

It had a round bottom, and the top had three points. The border was a bright, shiny cobalt blue. The surface was the shiniest mirror he had ever seen, with a gold Triforce design dead center. Around it was a strange pattern carved out of the mirror, only visible as the light hit it in certain ways. It seemed to draw in the light around him, as it shined way to brightly considering how dim the room was.

He put his old shield away, and replaced it with the new one. He quickly ran back and joined Link and Medli, and together the three of them stepped into the next room.

It was a long hallway; that was all. There were arches lining the walls on each side, leading into tombs. The air seemed very oppressive here, so thick it seemed hard to breathe. They examined each tomb, and as they left each tomb they thought they heard whispering and sighing from behind them.

They were about halfway down the hall when Link saw it. A black hole in the ground sliding toward them. He shoved Medli back and spun Naito around to face it. A dark purple arm burst out of the hole, and the hand at the end darted forward. Link and Naito both hopped to the side and it grabbed a tiny rock that was between them. It dragged it back into the hole, and it fell away into the infinite blackness.

The arm came out again. It struck, grabbing at Link. Link raised his shield and it grabbed the edge of the shield. It pulled, but Link held his ground, and Naito moved in. He hacked at the arm again and again, and it eventually released Link's shield. He took the opportunity and moved in with a huge swing, separating the hand from the arm. The entire thing instantly imploded into the hole, which sealed up afterward.

Link started to sheathe his sword when a large crash sounded from each tomb along the hall.

"What now?" Naito asked with a sigh.

He and Link stood in the center of the hall, each looking down one way. Medli stood between them with her bag of Deku nuts ready. There was a moment of silence, and then stalfos came running from each tomb and crowding each side of the hallway. They stumbled into walls, each of them wielding spiked clubs. They weren't the organized stalfos Link was used to, which was a good thing.

They rushed toward the trio from both sides; several of them fell and broke apart, but more stomped over them. Link twirled his sword, and leaped forward into the fray. He swung left and right, then jumped into the air and landed with his sword planted, creating a small shockwave. A few fell, and more took their place. Several swung, but he rolled and they smashed each other into bits.

He rose to his feet with a spin attack, clearing out more. On the other side Naito was protecting Medli from another wave. He used his small size to get lost among the waves of stalfos, rolling and jumping and swinging. Medli threw a nut at the ground if any got to close, and they would stumble around blindly.

Link cleared out his side quickly by creating as much chaos as possible; by the end he hardly needed to fight. That done, he ran back to join Naito. This side was more careful, sending three at a time. Link charged by Naito and leaped at one, slamming it to the ground and stabbing its skull. He whirled and slashed two more, then spun the other way again and blocked a club swing. He overpowered it, tossing its weapon to the side and performing two quick slashes that smashed it to pieces.

Naito joined the fray, this time with his hammer held high. He swung in a strong, downward arc, tossing bits of rock and dirt. Any bones his hammer met crumbled to dust, and the two were able to clear out this side quickly. They sheathed their weapons in unison.

"You fight very well together." Medli commented nervously.

Naito looked somewhat proud. Link urged them both to continue, leading them into the next room.

They were on a ledge again. This room did not seem at all like a crypt though; the walls and floor and roof were all white or light grey stone. They stepped to the edge, and gasped. The room was an extremely elaborate set up of mirrors set into intricately carved statues. Each mirror was set into a track, some with several choices of where to put it. Rows of pillars divided the room into three distinct sections. At the end closest to them there was a beam of light coming down from the ceiling in each section onto an area that was sunk below most of the floor. There was a mirror perched beside each of these, just waiting to be pushed into the beam of light.

"Who built this?" Medli asked in awe.

Link was fairly used to seeing elaborately designed rooms built by the sages for the single purpose of keeping people out, but he was still impressed by all the work that would have to go into designing and building something like this. He looked to the other side of the room, trying to see the purpose of the mirror puzzle. At the other end there were three small sun statues on the wall, one in each section. So you had to get a beam of light on each of those… elaborate as it was, this wouldn't be hard. It was really just a test of patience.

They all climbed down the ladder down from the ledge. Link sent Naito to the right section, and Medli to the middle one. He made sure they could move the mirrors, but they were oddly light… nothing you could lift up, but light enough to push. Naito pushed the first one into the beam of light, and Medli did the same. He told them to begin, but the other mirrors were too heavy to move. Even the golden gauntlets had no success.

"What the hell?" Naito asked the room at large.

"I'll push mine in. Maybe you can't begin until all mirrors are ready." Link suggested, jogging over to his side. He gave his mirror a quick shove, and it slid into place.

As soon as he did so, the room began to rumble. The word "trap" went through Link's mind over and over again, and all the hair on his neck seemed to stand up. His instincts never lied. He spun to warn Naito or Medli, but the pillars sunk into the ground with impossible speed, and walls slammed down from above, leaving them unable to communicate. Link spun to run back to the ledge, but a huge wall of fire was blocking the way out, and it was moving toward him.

As Link assumed, the same thing was happening to Medli and Naito. Medli watched in fear in the middle section, and Naito watched with what looked like mild annoyance.

"Who the hell goes to all this trouble when they could just put another monster here?" He casually asked no one in particular before beginning the puzzle with sudden speed.

Medli and Link were already doing the same in their respective areas, working with feverish intensity. Link worked his way down fairly easily; he had experience with this sort of thing. He was able to finish before the wall of fire was even halfway down, and looked back to admire the thread of light that zigzagged down the room onto a mirror on the far wall that reflected it back. He put on the finishing touch by standing in the final beam and using his mirror shield to aim the light up onto the sun statue. It glowed and smiled, and stayed that way even when he removed the light. The whole puzzle had been to get a beam of light in position to reflect onto that little statue. But the fire continued to advance, so all three must have to be activated. He sat back calmly, reflecting on how screwed he'd be if he came alone.

In the middle, Medli worked calmly but quickly. She'd never done anything like this, but she was exceptionally intelligent for her age and was able to look at it logically. She pictured what each move would do before she did it, and while she wasn't moving very quickly she didn't make a single mistake. She finished when the fire was almost three quarters of the way toward her, and then stood in confusion for a moment. It clicked suddenly, and she got her harp from its spot on her back. The shiny surface reflected the light onto the sun statue, and it smiled and glowed. The wall didn't stop, so she just sunk to her knees and buried her head in her hands, hoping for the best.

Meanwhile, at the exact same time, Naito was barely ahead of the wall of fire.

"Damn it damn it damn it damn it damn it damn it!" He repeated over and over again, frantically moving a statue until it reflected the light. He moved on, sweating from the heat of the fire behind him. He was about three quarters of the way there.

He continued frantically. He had been doing well at the start, but made on mistake that forced him to backtrack. Luckily the wall hadn't gotten to the point where he screwed up yet, but since then he had been barely ahead of it. He moved another mirror, and moved on again, still cursing. Two minutes later, he slid the last mirror in place. The wall was about five steps from him, and he looked around, trying to figure out the next step.

He slapped his head. Obviously. He quickly drew the mirror shield and reflected the light up at the sun. It began to glow, and for a moment nothing happened…

Link had his back to the wall, with the fire two paces away. "If this is Naito's fault, I'm killing him again in the afterlife." He swore solemnly, pressing into the cool stone. He held his breath and tensed, when suddenly the fire just… vanished. He stood there hardly able to move as the familiar, cheerful chime rang out. The walls rose away and the pillars replaced them, and the mirrors all vanished and reappeared in their original position. The room sat there, looking innocent all over again.

"YYYYEEEEESSS!!" Naito screamed from the other side. Medli was jumping for joy and Naito ran over and hugged her briefly before letting go and joining her in the jumping around. Link walked calmly over to the two of them.

"One of you was cutting it a bit close… but good job." He said, walking to the door that had been revealed. It was a big door, dark against the grey stone. It seemed to have appeared out of thin air, it certainly hadn't been there before they did the puzzle.

Link opened it. Medli began to run in, but both Link and Naito grabbed her shoulders and flung her back. They told her to stay, and the two tentatively stepped into the large chamber beyond.

**AN: Please review!**


	22. Guardian of the Temple

**AN: Hello again. Sorry it took so long, I… have no excuse.**

**Responses: Will no longer be featured. I'm just going to start using the "reply" button for any review that needs to be responded to. **

The next room was large and circular. The floor was beige coloured, and the walls were blue. A ring of spikes lined the walls in three rows: one at leg height, one at stomach height, and one at head height for an average adult. The center of the room was a dark circle with a gold triforce painted on. A giant mask sat there, it was bigger than Link if he lay on his side.

Link and Naito both readied their weapons, looking around carefully. There was a crunch sound, and the mask began to float up into the air in a cloud of dust. A single ghostly image descended from above and into the mask before they could fully make it out. Red orbs of light appeared in the eye holes of the mask, leering down at them. Transparent, ghostly tentacles burst out from the mask, plunging into the ground. The stone where they dug in began to tremble, and burst open in a spray of dust. Dirt was revealed below the stone, and bones unearthed themselves from these patches, traveling along the ghostly tentacles. They fused to the mask, and it rapidly began to build itself a misshapen body. A wolf-like skull now wore the mask, and an exposed humanoid rib cage and spine crept down into reptilian legs, made of mismatched bones. One arm was like an oversized human arm, complete with fingers made of more random bones, while the other had no hand. Instead it had a large bar of metal from below the ground fused on the end. It also had a tail which was made entirely of metal and stone, fused and twisted together. The creature stood at twenty feet, dominating the entire center of the room.

It lurched toward them and hissed at their faces, causing them both to wince. It leapt back and blew a plume of fire at them. Link dove right and Naito went left, and the fire scorched the ground they had been standing on. It spotted Link and lurched toward him; he noticed its movement was very awkward and clunky. It slammed its metal arm down at him, he stepped deftly to the right and it shattered the stone beside him. He charged forward and rolled between its legs, using a spin attack as he rose. His sword barely affected its skeletal legs, and with a flick of its tail it sent him spinning close to the spikes on the outside.

There was a crackle of fire from above. He looked up quickly to see a piece of cloth on the ceiling burning. It revealed a deep tunnel to the sky above, and let in a beam of light. He looked over at Naito, who shot another flaming arrow at another piece of cloth. The monster now saw him and began to charge awkwardly at him, raising its metal bar arm. Naito crouched and drew his mirror shield, kneeling in the beam of light and steadying the shield in front of him. The light gathered in it briefly before shining forth in a piercing beam. It shone into an eye socket of the skeletal beast, and it reeled back, flailing wildly.

Link took over here. He was back on his feet, and while the monster was enraged he darted forward. He hopped over the metal bar as it swung low, and landed further up its arm. From here he hopped to the skull, which was just big enough for him to stand on the cranium. He gave his sword a deft twirl and rammed it straight down, sinking to his knees as he did so. The monster shook, making no noise. A ghostly fog began to rise from the mask, slowly, as though it was trying to stay inside but was being pulled out by some unseen force. Link noticed the glowing spots in the eye sockets dimming, and realized the bones were being animated by a spirit, or something similar. He took a futile swing at the fog but his blade passed right through. The fog sunk back into the mask, and the monster's energy was renewed; it shook Link off with a quick flick of its head.

Link righted himself in midair and landed near Naito. He whispered a quick set of instructions to him before the monster breathed another jet of flame at them. They ran in opposite directions, Link was moving aimlessly but Naito made his way to a beam of light. He began to shine it at the creature like before, but it turned its back on him and the light shone uselessly on its spine.

"Damn it!" He and Link exclaimed simultaneously.

It was bearing down on Link now. Link backed up, watching the skeleton warily. He glanced over at Naito, and it came to him.

"Shine light at me!" he called, stopping and holding his mirror shield out. Naito didn't hesitate; a ray of light hit his shield and reflected up to the surprised creatures eyes. It flailed again, still eerily silent. Link darted in and leaped at its torso, grabbing at two ribs. He scrambled up from there to the skull, and threw his weight sideways to swing around on top of the skull. Once steady, he drove his sword down before it could shake him off.

Naito remained crouched in the beam of light, watching this happen. His shield was ready, and he was watching the mask as Link slid his sword into its head. As before, a ghostly vapour rose up, and he hit it with a beam of light as Link had instructed him. It began to solidify and take a vaguely human shape; more and more so the longer he held it in the light. Without warning, the eye sockets went totally dim and the entire mismatched skeleton collapsed into a heap. Link jumped off just in time, and the newly created figure did as well.

It was still a bit transparent, but solid enough. It was human shaped, draped in dark, tattered robes. It had no visible face. Link leaped at it and slashed downward through its head. It hissed, and he followed up with a stab, spun around and slashed again, and finished the combo with a spin attack. It flew back silently, and hit the spikes on the wall. It burst into a fog again, and flowed quickly back into the mask. The large heap of bones again rose off the floor, tossed its wolf-like head, and thrust its metal arm at Link. It caught him in the gut, throwing him back against the wall. He slammed into it right above the spikes, fell down and bounced off the dull side of the spikes and hit the ground hard. He didn't get back up.

"Hey! Freak! Look down here!" Naito cried from right in front of the beast.

It bent over and looked down at him, and caught an ice arrow in the eye. Ice built up in the miniscule space between the mask and face and expanded. The mask popped off and skidded to the other end of the room. The vapour exploded outward, forming a cloud all around the mask. Naito dove into a beam of light, aiming his shield as he did so. He landed hard on his side but barely noticed, and the light once again forced the spirit into a solid shape. He ran at it and dealt four vicious swings before it sunk back into the mask. The mask rose into the air and those ghostly tentacles pulled it over to the collapsed skeleton beast. It reattached, and the behemoth rose again.

Naito stepped toward it, tripped on a random rock, and stepped awkwardly on his right foot. He yelped in pain, tumbling backward onto the ground. The creature took one step toward him, threw its head up and fire began to spew from its muzzle. It tossed its head and looked down at Naito. The jet of hot flame surged forward…

And into Link's mirror shield. He had hopped Naito's fallen form with ease and raised his shield against the fire. It billowed outward as it hit it, and was then sucked back into the shield. The back of the shield began to flash bright red and make an odd chiming noise. It blinked faster and faster until it was a solid glow and the chime became a constant tone, and the stream of fire was reversed. It engulfed the creature in a giant fireball, and it stumbled back. It fell against the wall and the bones shattered, throwing flaming bits everywhere. The ghostly vapour streamed straight up, emitting a loud hissing noise.

Naito was back up. He stumbled to another beam of light, and directed it up at the fog. Even as it took a solid form it burst into flame, hissing still. It began to dissolve, just vanishing into the beam of light focused on it. Eventually nothing remained, and Naito put his shield away.

Link put away his shield as well. He then paused, and switched it for his Hylian Shield. He felt more comfortable with that. He looked over at the pile of bones, which was turning to dust. The shattered bits of stone on the floor began to slide back into place, once again flawlessly covering the dirt below. The gold triforce painted in the center began to glow, and a column of blue light stretched from the edges of the blue circle around it to the ceiling. When the light faded, a small pedestal with the triforce carved into it was sitting in the middle.

The door behind them opened on its own. Medli was sitting on the floor outside, but as soon as it opened she hopped to her feet. Naito beckoned her in, and she entered cautiously.

"It's all right. We have it under control." Naito assured her with a confident smile.

She walked past him to the pedestal without a word. She stared at it and nodded slowly. Naito walked over and joined her, followed by Link. Naito drew the Master Sword slowly, spun it so the point was facing down, and raised it as high as he could. He sunk to one knee and brought it down, striking the pedestal dead on. It sunk into the white stone easily, halfway up the blade. It glowed blue briefly, but otherwise nothing happened.

Naito looked up and saw Medli with her harp and Link with his ocarina at the ready. Comprehension dawned on his face, and he reached into his pocket for the Wind Waker. He took a second to remember the Earth God's Lyric, and began to wave the baton fluidly. Medli began playing at once, and Link came in at his cue. In a triangle they stood around the sword, and the song echoed throughout the chamber, and the sword began to stir.

It began to glow blue, and a column of light enveloped it again, although it was much thinner this time. It faded as the song ended, and the sword looked as it did before. They put away their instruments and Naito stepped up to the sword. He gave a quick tug and it came free in his hands with another brief blue pulse. He raised it up above his head, and it vibrated in his hands. There was a loud cracking sound and the cross guard shot out in a cloud of dust, creating the familiar eagle wing design. A small triforce carving on the blade revealed itself, and the blade took on a new gleam. Link looked it up and down, noting only two things that were not yet correct. The gold, diamond shaped stone inlaid where the blade met the hilt was still dark, and the blade, while shiny, didn't have that odd glow… but then, there was still the next temple.

"I guess this is it. I shall remain here, and protect the power of the sword for the remainder of your quest. For now, I will send you back to the world above." Medli told them.

"You did well. Thank you for your help." Link said with a nod.

"No, thank _you_. You are the ones stopping Ganon, I am only helping where I can. Good bye…" She said, flicking her hand at them. A fierce wind began to blow around them, spiraling inward and picking them up. The last thing they saw before the room faded to white was Medli standing and waving from her position by the pedestal.

**AN: Okay, so... please review.**


	23. Wind Temple, Part 1

**AN: Sorry this took so long. Blame homework. No, blame me. I didn't feel like writing this chapter until I had the idea of how to start it.**** That took a while...**

"Lord Ganon."

Ganondorf slowly turned around from the window he had been staring out. A red-armoured Darknut was kneeling before him, trying to keep a respectful distance despite the small size of the room. It was just a lookout tower after all. Ganondorf waved at him briefly, giving him permission to speak.

"We have pulled out of the Forsaken Fortress entirely, as you requested. Ships are patrolling the seas but are staying passive. No unnecessary attacks are being made. Everything is as you commanded." He told him.

"Good. Dismissed." Ganondorf replied shortly.

"Yes sir. Umm… what about... Link?"

"That does not concern you." Ganondorf replied in an icy voice. The very room darkened and a frigid wind began to blow, causing his cape to billow about menacingly. The Darknut retreated in a hurry.

He turned back to the window, which faced the vast landscape behind his castle. It was a beautiful land, green grass and trees and even buried beneath all this water it was bright. Nonetheless, it was a ghost land. All because of the supposedly benevolent goddesses… How could they do that? Take it all away from him? What gave them the right? Patience… he would have it yet. Link might even help him bring it back; it couldn't be hard to deceive him. Or maybe he wouldn't have to. Link could remain a powerful ally.

He spun suddenly and left the tower, heading down the stairs. He strode into the basement and into a room right below the tower. It was dark, with a single beam of light illuminating a large, shiny blue stone as big as Ganondorf himself. It was set into the wall like a mirror, although Ganondorf knew better. It was the main gossip stone, the one all the others were linked to. He raised his hand to it, and commanded in a loud, clear voice, "Show me."

The stone lit up, and an image materialized in it. It linked with the gossip stone Link had, and showed him what they were doing. He saw they were in front of a Korok, who was playing the fiddle. Naito had the Wind Waker and was conducting him furiously. Link seemed to be playing along on the Ocarina. As soon as the image was crystal clear, he began to hear them as well; upbeat, catchy music.

The Korok slumped back as the song ended. He didn't have far to fall, and he didn't stay down for long. A mere minute after he lost consciousness he came to, and sat up slowly.

He looked at both Links, and then spoke. "I saw him… my ancestor, the sage. Fado. I see now what I am truly meant to do. Please, take me to the Wind Temple."

Link nodded. Without another word, the trio exited the cave with a quick leap through a thin waterfall, and Ganondorf watched until they entered their boat before cutting the image off with a hand wave. They were coming along nicely. Now, one of two things would happen. They would die in the temple, and the triforce would be his for the taking. Or they would get through, and empower that cursed sword. If that happened… well, he knew what he would do. With a small, satisfied chuckle, he swept out of the room.

"That's the island, right ahead." Link called back to Makar and Naito from the front of the boat. They had been sailing for a long time, and it was nice to finally see their destination.

They brought the boat in slowly, and dragged it up onto the sandy shore. They sat down for a brief rest, drinking some water from a small freshwater pool on the island. Link quickly filled Makar in on the sort of things they might find, and instructed him to stay out of the way when possible. When they felt ready to carry on, they walked over the rubble of the fan they had found here that Link had smashed and into the cave where they met the spirit of Fado. The giant stone blocking further progression was still there, but they knew what to do.

Naito began, waving his baton and instructing the invisible choir to sing six notes before Makar jumped in. Link began a while later, and again they were playing in harmony. After a solid two minutes of this odd looking performance, the door crumbled and revealed the well lit entrance to the temple.

It was another circular well like before, but there was lots of light at the bottom and Link could see it wasn't a far drop. Naito went first, followed by Makar, followed by Link. They were in a short hallway with a high, shadowy ceiling and a door on the far side. The walls were yellow stone, and the floor was dirt with short, light grass.

"This doesn't look as dangerous as the last temple." Naito commented, breaking the silence.

"That's what you're supposed to think. Don't let your guard down." Link warned him, remembering the well-lit, spacious water temple. _That_ had seemed inviting too… he shuddered as he remembered the almost two days he had spent in there, cold, hungry, and lost.

"I'm pretty sure your reading into this too much. Not _every_ room is full of traps, or puzzles, or something hell-bent on tearing you apart." Naito said confidently, striding down the hall.

Link sighed as a large, black bird that had been previously hidden above them swooped down and smacked Naito with a staff it was holding, knocking him to his knees. It was a creature Link had never seen before; it looked like on oversized crow with a toucan's beak, and a golden helmet. Its wings had little claws, like a bat. It was holding the short staff in its right claw.

It spun for another approach, but Link nailed it in the chest with an arrow. It jerked back awkwardly, ripping the arrow out with an angry squawk. It twirled and vanished in a small sprinkling of green blood. Link put his bow away and took a step toward Naito, who was getting back to his feet. The bird spun into existence again, surprising Link with a burst of ice. Link leaped back and it hit the ground in front of him, spreading quickly. It caught both of his feet, rooting him to the spot. His momentum pushed him over backward and he fell onto his back, cracking his head. He lay dazed, staring stupidly into space.

Naito got to his feet as the bird sent a burst of fire at him. He back flipped clean out of its reach, going for his bow. Just as he got it the bird swooped at him and clipped the bow out of his hands, sending it spinning off toward where they had first dropped into the hall. He tried to run for it but a second swoop knocked him down again. He rolled onto his back, drawing his sword. It came down at him again, but pulled up just as he swung and hurled a ball of ice at him. He rolled to the side up against the wall, barely avoiding it. He got to his feet quickly, but the bird was out of reach again.

He heard a shrill battle cry. Makar, who had been completely forgotten, was flying above the bird with his little leaf propeller. He dropped onto its back, tore off its helmet, and began beating it over the head with it. The bird squawked and pitched forward, dive bombing toward the ground. Makar leapt free and it hit the ground with a SMACK sound. Naito prepared to finish it, but didn't have to. Link, free from the ice, was already in the air even as it hit the ground, and came down on it with his sword planted. He stabbed it again and again and yet it still lived, desperately trying to crawl away. Link didn't let up for a second; he continued at it with a scary, primeval gleam in his eye. Finally, it let out a loud shriek, and collapsed into a heap of feathers matted with green blood. Link grunted, and sheathed his sword.

Naito watched with wide eyes. He thought Link seemed like a pretty docile, calm, kind person normally. This was a new side of Link, one he now believed Link was always trying to hide from everyone, even himself. This other side was cold, vicious, and merciless. Naito had just witnessed it rise to the surface, and he wasn't sure he liked it. He tried to put it out of his mind however, as he grabbed his bow and joined Makar and Link at the other side of the hall.

"If you would just listen to me for once, we can avoid things getting the drop on us like that. I've done this many times and I know what to look for." Link chastised him. Nonetheless, his eyes were once again soft and calming, and Naito didn't really mind.

"Sorry. You can lead, if you like. Let's just hurry up and get this done." Naito said, and Link nodded slowly before opening the door and entering the next chamber.

**AN: Sorry it's so short; I really don't want to continue here. I'll try and make the next one extra long. For now, please review!**


	24. Wind Temple, Part 2

**AN: Yay, no more school! Things will hopefully come a bit more quickly now… although I am getting a job, so… **

"Wow…" Naito breathed as they stepped to the edge. Link had to agree; he'd never seen anything like it in his life. They were in a giant circular room, easily two hundred feet from roof to floor, probably more. They were near the very top; it stretched deep into the earth. It was brightly lit, and the ledge they were on was covered in grass. There was an updraft from below, but a fog below prevented them from seeing what was creating it. Link could see another ledge with a door opposite them, and there were a few other offshoots further down.

"Not that this isn't impressive, but we can't stand here ogling it all day. What now?" Naito piped up after a couple of minutes.

Link crouched by the edge, peering down. The walls were smooth, beige stone, and definitely impossible to climb. He was about to ask Naito for suggestions when they heard a cawing sound from below. Link stood quickly and backed up. The temple rumbled slightly, and there were echoing screeches from below, drawing closer and closer. Link peered over and then flipped back, keeping his hands on the ground. He landed, drew his sword, and crouched into a fighting stance. Naito watched and then drew his own weapons.

There was a loud rush of air, and thousands of large, black birds burst up from beneath. They obscured the other side of the temple from view, trapping them on their ledge. Bars slammed down over the door behind them.

"KILL THE INTRUDERS." A voice rumbled from the birds, the ground, and the temple itself.

There was an explosion of feathers, and the giant black birds plunged forward. Link and Naito hit the floor as the black cloud swooped overhead. Claws tore at them, scratching their skin and trying to grab hold. Link stood suddenly, used a spin attack to make some space, and cast Nayru's Love. The brilliant blue diamond sprung into existence around him, its blue walls stopping any bird that tried to hit him. He began slashing at random, taking down bird after bird. He took the head off one and it fell nearby. The skin rotted, leaving behind a skeleton. A small, green worm with tiny horns crawled out of a hole in the skull, and died as it tried to crawl away.

Link spent a little too much time noticing this. A few birds clustered together and rammed into him all together. He gasped and stumbled forward. One of his feet went over the edge and he desperately tried to backpedal, but his weight pulled him forward over the edge. He grabbed for the ledge and found it, but the position was too awkward to hold on and he fell from Naito's view with a cry.

"NO!" Naito screamed. The birds had stopped attacking him almost as soon as Link fell and were now rushing back down below. Naito scrambled to the edge and looked over, but all he could see was the cloud of birds fading into the fog.

Makar, who had curled into a ball in the corner, waddled over with sad eyes. "I am sorry about your friend." He said softly. Naito didn't reply.

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Naito heard the faint sound of wings again. His eyes narrowed, and he stood up, taking out his deku leaf. He gauged the distance between them and the ledge opposite, and decided it didn't matter anyway.

He ran at the edge full speed and jumped, unfurling the deku leaf above his head at the peak of his leap. He felt the odd tug as he defied gravity, and began gliding across the massive room. The updraft helped, it pushed him up ever so slightly. He looked down and saw the black shape begin rising from the fog.

"You are not going to kill me, you bastards!" He screamed down in fury as he touched down on the other side. Makar landed beside him, using a leaf as a propeller. Naito sent him through the door, and then turned around with his bow drawn, backing up against the door.

They once again filled the center, thousands of beady little eyes watching him. With a single cry, they rushed forward again. Naito infused the arrow with ice, released it, and several birds were frozen together. Naito quickly opened the door and ran through, slamming it behind him. There was a series of THUD sounds and bird cries, which eventually dropped off and plunged them into eerie silence.

They were in a small, circular room. It was completely empty except for a metal disk leaning against the wall. There was also some sort of opening in the floor opposite them. Naito checked it out, and realized it was the beginning of a ramp, the biggest ramp he had ever seen. Below the room they were in was a straight drop into fog, probably all the way down to the bottom floor. The ramp followed the outside in what looked like an endless spiral. He put his foot on the ramp, which didn't look too steep. But it was narrow, so he'd have to be careful… and it would take forever. He was about to start when he noticed the thin groove running down the middle of the ramp; a square indentation that was obviously there for a reason.

He turned and looked back to the metal disk. It was slightly plate shaped, and seemed about the size of the ramp. There was also a small, square nub of metal in the middle of the rounded edge, sticking out two inches or so. He dragged it over to the ramp, and set the nub into the groove, which he realized was a kind of track. There was a clanking sound and the disk suddenly fastened to the track; Naito couldn't get it off no matter how hard he tried. He let Makar on the front and then stepped on, crouching low and kicking off the floor. They began to slide surprisingly smoothly, slowly at first but quickly picking up speed. It made a loud, metal clanking noise as he picked up speed, but the ride was hardly bumpy at all. He figured that the room was fifty feet in diameter. Pretty big, although the main room was at least four times that.

After about a minute of sliding down the wall, he heard a loud shriek. He swore under his breath, crouched lower and edged over to the side of the disk and looked down. A giant black bird was rising up toward him, screeching. It was more human than the others; it had arms as well as wings and its overall shape was more human than bird; it was almost like a rito covered in black feathers. And it was headed straight toward him. He flopped backward just as it streaked by where his head had been a second before and he watched it bank sharply to avoid hitting the wall. It wheeled around for another swoop.

Naito drew his bow. As it flew straight for him he put an arrow between its eyes and hopped to the side. It braked sharply, screeching in pain. The arrow had barely gone in; definitely not a fatal wound. It tore the arrow out with a four-fingered, clawed hand, and began flying after the disk, gaining on Naito and Makar rapidly.

Link put away his bow and drew his sword, crouching low at the rear of the disk, careful not to let the wind push him off; they were going dangerously fast now. It cried out, and as it drew within swinging range it banked up, avoiding his vicious slash. It dipped back down and grabbed his shoulders with its claws, sinking into flesh. Naito screamed with pain as it tried to lift him up. He thrust his sword up into the underbelly of the beast, thrusting half of the blade into its gut. Blue blood ran down the blade, and the bird creature shrieked, pulling up off the blade. It wheeled around, trailing droplets of blood from the wound, and came at him again.

Naito had his bow ready. He infused the arrow with ice, and took the shot. He missed, freezing a section of the wall further up. He swore and tried to ready another arrow, but the bird didn't let him. It wheeled to face him, and opened its beak. A ball of fire appeared there, and launched toward Naito. He yelled with surprise and hopped back, sliding off the disk and onto the track. He managed to grab the back of the disk with both hands, and was being dragged along the metal track at high speed. He gritted his teeth against the pain as it burned his stomach, and tried to pull himself forward onto the disk. He couldn't manage it, however, and Makar was too weak to pull him up.

He changed tactic quickly. Seeing no choice, he let go of the disk and yelled for Makar to stay on. He slid to a painful stop, grimacing at the pain in his stomach as he stood. He could see the disk at a lower track on the opposite wall, speeding further and further with every second. The bird was circling above, gauging the distance between them in preparation for a final dive. Naito drew his grappling hook, and stood ready. He had no doubt Link could pull something like this off, but it felt near impossible right now.

It dove. Naito waited, crouched as it drew near, closing the gap between them with impressive speed. Just as it drew close he stepped sideways, grabbed its neck and dragged himself onto its back, feet dangling in front of the wings. As it turned away from the wall he flung the grappling hook around its neck, allowing the bird's own momentum help it swing around and back up the other side of the neck. He pulled tight, and prayed for luck now, at the most crucial part. The rope pulled tight into its wide open mouth and he sighed in relief as he pulled it snug, gripping his makeshift reins tightly.

He tugged the left side back, forcing its head to turn. As he hoped, it followed the direction with the rest of its body. He forced it into a dive, roaring down and catching up to the disk. He leveled off as he reached it, and began gliding over it. The bird was fighting his control, trying to buck him off; he kept it in line by tugging on the rains, but knew he would lose control soon. Finally, directly over the disk, he released the grappling hook and drew it back to him, and stabbed an arrow into the back of its neck as deep as possible. The wood splintered, but he got it in halfway before it did. Finally, he leapt off and crashed ungracefully onto the disk.

He could see the bottom now. The bird shrieked, and dropped down. He watched it land on the ground, sway slightly, and then waddle ungracefully over to the bottom of the ramp. It spread its wings and took flight again, this time hurling up just above the ramp straight at him. Naito crouched with his sword and shield drawn, waiting for it. They charged at each other at high speed. Naito waited as it charged for him, forcing himself to stay calm… it felt almost as if time was slowing down. As it drew close he jumped into the air and spun a hundred and eighty degrees, slashed its back as he dropped down onto the disk. It slowed and paused upright in midair after he slashed it. Naito drew his grappling hook again as landed. He tossed it up at the creature, wrapping around its neck a few times. He crouched low and braced himself as the rope pulled taut. He was almost pulled over by the bird's weight, but he managed to stay on. The bird was pulled ungracefully back through the air behind the speeding disk, which was rapidly approaching the end of the line. Naito jumped free of the disk just before it hit the end, and the bird was pulled toward him rapidly by its own momentum. Naito ducked low and slashed up as it passed overhead, wounding it deeply. He also pulled the grappling hook free and it slammed into a wall. Naito heard some shattering bones, and the bird collapsed to the ground in a mangled heap. Naito sheathed hos sword, and sat down tiredly.

"Good work… Link would have been proud." Makar said with a small smile, waddling over. Naito thanked him, fighting back tears.

Without further talk, they opened the door in the room and stepped back into the main chamber. As Naito had guessed, they were now at the very bottom. He saw the source of the updraft: a giant fan set in the ground. However, something had shut it off while he was gone. He dreaded seeing Link's body, but the birds seemed to have carried it off... or else it was below the fan. Deliberately not looking down there, he headed around the fan to the door opposite him. He opened it and stepped through into a short hallway. He ran through, waiting for something to attack him. Nothing did. He stepped through the large door at the end of the hallway, and entered a giant, sandy chamber. He was on a ledge overlooking the sand below. Sand cascaded down the walls, and there was a giant window at the roof that let in lots of light. There was a stone platform with the triforce painted on in the middle. Naito ordered Makar to wait here, and hopped down.

**AN: Review. Now. Please?**


	25. Molgera

**AN: Sorry it took so long… bought the Wii edition of Resident Evil 4. 'Tis awesome. Close this window, forget my story, and go buy it now.**

Naito approached the stone platform slowly, his eyes darting around the chamber for any sign of movement. He made it to the platform before the room began shaking, and a deep rumbling sound built up under the sand. Naito swore quietly, and drew his sword.

"WHY DO YOU DISTURB THIS TEMPLE?" the same voice from when the birds attacked said.

Naito didn't say anything. He spun quickly when he heard a loud crash from behind him. There was a small explosion of sand and as it settled it revealed a whirlpool-like dip in the sand. From the center of this, a giant green shape emerged. It was the head of some kind of large worm. It had gaping pincers on both sides of a large round mouth full of teeth. Its eyes were black and beady. A tongue with a rounded end protruded from its mouth, dripping saliva on the sand.

"I AM MOLGERA, GUARDIAN OF THIS TEMPLE AS APPOINTED BY GANON HIMSELF. THIS TEMPLE BELONGS TO ME AND MY OFFSPRING NOW… YOU ARE AN INTRUDER." The voice said, coming not only from Molgera but also the temple walls.

As soon as it finished talking, it struck. Naito ducked as it plunged its head forward, pincers gnashing at the air. Naito swung his sword up as it withdrew its head, but it glanced off its rock hard skin. Molgera burrowed under the ground again, disappearing from view. Naito spun and slashed suddenly, knocking a much smaller worm out of the air. This one was about as big as he was, but looked about the same as Molgera otherwise. It writhed on the ground for several seconds before turning to dust.

There was a loud roar, and Molgera once again surfaced, spraying sand everywhere. It lunged forward, but fell just short as Naito back flipped. Its tongue whipped out at him, and he instinctively slashed his sword forward. It left a deep gash in the tongue, and yellow blood spurted out. Molgera screeched in pain and withdrew, eying him warily. It delved back under, and Naito saw two smaller worms slithering through the sand toward him.

He ducked as they lunged simultaneously and rose with an upward slash as they were overhead. They were both cleaved neatly in two. Naito spun just in time to see Molgera rise again from the sand. It lunged, stopped halfway toward him, and then suddenly its tongue darted out, slamming into his left hand. His sword went flying, and the tongue moved to the side, sticking to his torso. He yelled in surprise and tried to pull free, but it was no use. Molgera began reeling him in. Naito dug in and tried to push himself backward, but he was slowly dragged toward the gargantuan worm's jaws.

Just as the teeth loomed almost overhead, an arrow clipped the side of his hat and pierced down through the tongue on an angle. It instantly let him go and shot back in. Molgera screeched in rage. Naito back flipped, scooped up his sword and then spun around. Link was standing on the ledge where Naito had entered from, his bow drawn and another arrow ready. He looked like hell though: half of his face was covered with blood, one eye was swollen halfway shut, his hat was gone, and there were splotches of blood on his tunic… not all of it was human blood, at least.

He fired another arrow, but this one glanced off of one of Molgera's pincers uselessly. Molgera hissed in anger, and said "YOU... HOW DID YOU SURVIVE?"

"Bit of advice: your enemy is never dead until you've seen their body." Link said smoothly, leaping down from the ledge. He ran at Molgera, firing arrow after arrow. Quite a few missed, but many struck the tongue as well. Molgera screamed in rage and slid back under the earth.

Link slowed down beside Naito and put his bow away. He smiled slightly, reaching into his pouch. He pulled out a strange looking contraption, and tossed it over to Naito.

"Picked this up for you on my way. It's like my hookshot; you'll figure it out." Link as he turned to face Molgera, who surfaced from below again.

Naito realized the thing Link had tossed him had a glove, and he slipped it on. There was a large, metal thing attached to the glove with a sharp spearhead slightly protruding from the end. He felt a trigger inside the glove, and gave it a squeeze. The hook sprung out on a coiled chain, reached the end and then retracted back automatically.

Molgera opened its jaws, and without warning a stream of purple acid spewed forward. Link and Naito dove in opposite directions, rolling into the sand. The acid hissed and melted away parts of the stone platform. Link quickly slid his iron boots on as soon as he rose, and then fired his hookshot at Molgera's tongue. As he retracted it, his weight pulled the tongue as far as it would reach, and then Molgera slowly began to fall toward him. Link gritted his teeth as Molgera tried to pull back; it felt like his arm was going to be pulled off.

There were several loud screeching sounds, and Naito looked up. He saw a dark cloud of the black birds descending toward them from the high ceiling. He looked back at Link and saw his face clenched against the pain. He spun back to face Molgera, and aimed his own hookshot at its tongue. Without any extra weight, he was pulled up to Molgera's tongue. He held his sword with the tip aimed at the tongue as he was pulled up, and the sword pierced the tongue deeply. Molgera shrieked in pain and stopped tugging, causing it to be pulled over suddenly by Link. Naito's momentum carried him up to just above Molgera's mouth, and he back flipped off of its head as it fell, pushing himself clear of its body.

Link instantly retracted his hookshot out of its tongue and charged forward. It was laying half in and half out of the ground, stunned. Its mouth was open and its tongue hung out. Link brought his sword up and slammed it down with a yell, severing the end of the tongue. Naito stepped to the side as the yellow blood began to flow. Link spun and faced its open mouth, and fired an ice arrow into its throat and blocked it off, just to be sure. Molgera twisted around in rage and pain, raised its head off the ground with a choked roar, and then collapsed back, dead.

The birds, which had just about reached them, stopped moving suddenly and simply plummeted to the ground. A small green worm crawled out from the back of each bird's head, and died after trying to crawl away.

"What's happening?" Naito asked.

"I'm pretty sure these worms are all Molgera's children… Molgera was like the queen of a hive, it seems. Without her, they don't know how to function. The worms must be parasites that can take over the body of their host." Link told him.

Makar was flying down toward them now, and he touched down on the large stone platform.

"Before we start, you have to tell me how you lived. You've done some insane stuff, but this probably tops it all." Naito said to Link.

"Fair enough. Let's see… as soon as I fell, the birds followed me… although I guess you saw that. That's why I look like I do; they were tearing at me as I fell. I was just thrashing around as they clawed at my face, and they even stole my hat."

"Gasp! Not your hat!" Naito exclaimed in mock horror.

"Yeah, listen, shut up and let me tell the story, ok? Anyway, I had fallen a fair way down and I could see the fan below. The birds had finally started to back off by now. Then I had the weirdest idea… I knew how I could stop myself from hitting the ground, except that I would have died from the sudden stop anyway. So what I did to break my momentum was use Farore's Wind to set a warp point right there in the air. What that means is that if I use the spell again, I go back to where I set the point. So I used it just before I hit the fan and reappeared in the air about fifteen feet above the fan. It was then a short drop to the fan where I normally would have been hacked to bits. Instead, I created a protective shield around myself using Nayru's Love. The fan has a cover, see, which goes over about half of it… I guess it's there to let you walk over the fan or something, I don't know. Anyway, I got stuck between a blade and this cover, and stopped the fan… after the shield wore out I just dropped down below, where I thought I was safe…"

"And you weren't?" Naito cut in.

"I'm getting to that. Turns out, I broke the fan. The birds saw I was alive, so they dove down at me. I ran for it; there was a door leading away, but the birds caught up. They tried to drag me back into the open where more of them could get me. I threw a bomb and it startled them long enough that I could get away. I spun and used a light arrow, which blinded them long enough for me to bolt through the door and close it behind me."

"What was behind the door?" Naito asked.

"I would tell you, if you didn't keep cutting in with pointless questions. There was a small, square room with a chest in the middle. That's where I got that hookshot. Only after I took it, the door locked and a hidden panel on the wall opened. This weird black human-like bird thing that looked kind of like a Rito attacked me. I wasn't exactly feeling up to fighting, so I nailed it with an ice arrow and stopped it in its tracks."

"THAT was all it took?" Naito gasped.

"For a while. Long enough for me to notice the hole in the wall up near the ceiling. There was a rope nearby, so I climbed up and out… and that was when the bird broke out and soared up after me. It knocked me over and was circling above for the kill when it stopped, cocked its head as if it heard something, and took off through a hole in the wall higher up. I was standing in the room with the fan, on a ring of ground around it. I was starting to feel sort of lightheaded by now, so I ducked back into the room I just came out of, hoping it would be safe from the birds if they came back. I barely had enough strength to slide down the rope. I rested a bit; I think I might have dozed. Anyway, when I was feeling a bit better, I shimmied back up and headed through the only door there. You know what happened next; I ended up in here, looking at that giant worm."

There was brief silence, and then Naito shrugged. "That was it? I expected something flashier, like single handedly fighting the whole flock and then roping them together using the fuses from all your bombs, and gliding to safety with them before fighting your way through a thousand dark warriors to get here."

There was a longer silence. Link broke it by saying, "Next time, _you _try almost dying and see what you come up with."

They looked at each other for a minute, and then burst out laughing. They hugged each other; laughing so hard tears were rolling down their cheeks.

"Good to see you." Naito finally said as the laughter finally started to subside.

"Likewise. Now let's get this done; Ganon's waiting." Link said, and the two joined Makar on the platform. They once again performed the ritual, just like in the Earth Temple. Naito led them through the Wind God's Aria, with Link on his Ocarina and Makar on his fiddle, the three standing in a triangle around the Master Sword in the pedestal. As they finished, the column of light once again enveloped the sword.

When it faded, Naito drew the blade again. He held it up, and it suddenly shone with white light, bright enough to force Naito to close his eyes. Link watched as the diamond gem in the hilt regained its golden shine. The light dimmed, slowly fading away, although not entirely. Link could now see the sword's familiar dull glow that went beyond light simply reflecting off of the blade. It brought a small smile to his lips.

"Power has been returned to your sword… you should go and confront Ganon now. I will wait here, and protect the power of the sword. Come visit again after your victory; I promise the temple will be returned to its former splendour." Makar said as wind gathered around Link and Naito. They both waved to him as they were lifted up by the temple's power, and were carried away to prepare for their final battle.

**AN: There… finally finished. You have no idea how many times I rewrote parts of this chapter. If you're trying to figure out how you can show your appreciation, the "submit a review" button is down there at the bottom left. **


	26. Hyrule Revisited

**AN: ****Sorry it took so long, I'm a lazy jerk, forgive me. I saw The Simpsons movie! 'Twas hilarious. I'll have no one deny its awesomeness.**

Link and Naito reappeared outside of the temple, on the sandy shores. Naito and Link quickly dragged the boat into the water, and hopped in. Naito hoisted the sail and glanced back at Link briefly. He blinked and did a double take when he saw him.

"Wait, what… I thought you lost your hat!?" Naito exclaimed.

"I did." Link said, adjusting the hat that was now clearly visible on his head.

"So, where did you get that one?" Naito asked, confused.

"Well, I carry spares, don't I? Not the first hat I've lost." Link said, as if it were obvious.

Naito shook his head in amusement before setting sail toward the Tower of the Gods at the king's urging. The sky was clear, and the water calm. Naito finally got a good look at Link's face, which had at least stopped bleeding.

"Wow… you look pretty rough." He commented. While Link had cleaned off the blood in the water, there were still numerous small cuts on his face, mostly on the right side. His tunic was ragged and tattered, although Naito had to admit the new hat was in good shape.

"I'm fine." Link said shortly, scanning the water around them.

The trip was easy. At one point they spotted one of Ganon's ships on the port side, but it didn't pursue them. Naito asked Link about that.

"Not sure… but if I had to guess, I'd say Ganon wants us to show up. I hope we aren't just playing into his hands…" Link answered absently.

"Why would he want to face us?" Naito asked.

Link shrugged, and said no more on the subject. They sailed on, and arrived at the tower as the sun began to set, casting a brilliant reddish orange glow over the water. They cruised slowly through an archway and inside the outer wall. As they approached the centre, Link felt his left hand heat up slightly, and knew it was glowing underneath his gauntlet. Ahead, a golden ring of light appeared in the water.

"Stop." Link said before they entered it. Naito angled the sail and the boat cruised to a stop, rocking gently on the water.

Link took off his gauntlet, and the triforce mark was indeed glowing brightly. Naito's eyes widened as he saw it, and his shocked eyes rose to Link's face.

"I think it's time you told me who you really are." He said calmly and with total seriousness.

Link nodded. "You're right. I probably should have told you earlier… either way, you have to know before we face Ganondorf. I am Link, as I have told you… and hundreds of years ago I faced Ganon with the sword you now wield. I defeated him, although only thanks to the help of others. Ten years later… or maybe three, I don't know, there's time travel involved… Ganon's vast army attacked, unified by some part of his spirit that escaped the sacred realm where he was sealed. I tried to fight… but I guess the goddesses decided it was a losing battle. They sunk Hyrule, and created a vast ocean overtop where people could continue to exist. Hyrule itself was frozen in time, me included. I was in the room above where you got the Master Sword, with those monsters. Anyway, one day a couple weeks ago I was released, brought to the surface and picked up by tetra's pirate ship. Tetra was kidnapped by the giant bird and brought to your island. I guess you know what happened from there." Link explained solemnly, while Naito listened carefully.

"That's… that's a lot to swallow." Naito said shakily.

"But do you believe it?" Link asked.

"After seeing the things I've seen, how could I not? But if that's who you are, shouldn't you take the sword?" Naito asked, reaching for it.

"No." Link said firmly. "It isn't coincidence that you got involved in this, and it sure isn't coincidence that you could draw the sword. I believe you are the true hero of this era… I don't know why I am here, but since I am, I will help you when I can. Nothing more. In fact… this is the real reason I stopped us."

As he said that, he reached out and grabbed Naito's left hand in his, as if shaking his hand. His eyes locked with Naito's, and they sat like that for a short time before the mark on Link's hand began to glow brighter. Link closed his eyes and threw his head back as there was a bright flash of light, and Naito was thrown to the front of the boat.

Naito sat up cautiously, studying his hand. A dark, triangle mark had been burned into the back, and as he stared it began to glow a dim gold.

"What… what if you're wrong, and I'm not the hero?" Naito asked.

"I would've done that anyway. Ganon wants the triforce, and he'll be able to feel it when it's close to him, but hopefully he won't be able to tell that it no longer exists in me. It'll help keep it safe… but it might put you in danger." Link explained.

"No problem. I'll hide it." Naito said, and he quickly began wrapping his hand in bandages from his pocket.

"I didn't know you had bandages! You should have told me!" Link gasped.

"It was more fun watching you use pieces of your tunic." Naito admitted, and then held his hand up and asked, "How do I look?"

"Like a mummy. Now let's get going." Link said as they cruised forward into the ring of light, and were drawn back down into Hyrule.

They left the boat wordlessly. Link kept it to himself, but he was starting to get a bad feeling, and every instinct in his body was screaming at him to check on Tetra. He forced himself to walk slowly, remembering that he had been wrong before.

They entered the castle, and Link's worst fears were confirmed. The giant statue of him on the pedestal had been bisected; the legs were all that remained. The torso was lying nearby, broken in several places. The pedestal no longer covered the entrance.

Naito was looking at the broken statue of Link. "If that statue was of me, I'd take it as a very bad omen." He said.

"Come on." Link said, dashing down the stairs and already expecting not to see anything…

But he was wrong. Tetra, or Zelda, was standing on the platform where they had left her, apparently looking at the stained glass windows opposite them. Something still felt off, and Link began to slowly approach the platform. He figured as long as they were careful, it wouldn't matter if it was a trap.

"Tetra!" Naito shouted from behind him, dashing past Link and toward the platform.

"Damn." Link said flatly, racing after him. The minute they were both on the platform, Tetra vanished. Both Links stopped short, spinning around. A ring of flame burst up around the platform, trapping them. Laughter echoed through the room.

"I'm disappointed… I didn't think you'd fall for this. Zelda is gone; I will claim what's mine from her soon. I need something from you too, Link… I'll take it from your corpse. And yes; I'll make sure I see your body first." Ganon's voice proclaimed mockingly.

"Wait… how did he know what I said?" Link asked, worried.

"Does it matter? Worry about what's happening _right now!_**"** Naito exclaimed as three darknuts in black armour appeared with a loud CRACK sound. One of the darknut's armour was trimmed in red, and all three looked far more dangerous than most darknuts.

Naito and Link drew their weapons simultaneously, automatically standing back to back. The darknuts slowly closed in, raising their giant swords and grunting menacingly. One of them swung down at Link, who raised his blade and blocked it, struggling under the darknut's strength. Naito dove forward as the other two slashed at him, rolling to relative safety and getting to his feet quickly. Link stepped to the side away from the blade, slashed at the Darknut's armour before back flipping out of range of a counter-attack.

He saw the two others closing in on Naito at the other side of the platform, and leapt into action. He dashed forward and jumped, landing firmly on one of the darknuts shoulders and bouncing forward with a quick hundred and eighty degree turn, landing beside Naito and facing the darknuts. The three darknuts had lined up and were advancing again, leaving them no opening to dodge. As one, the three darknuts swung their swords down at Link and Naito.

**AN: You know what I'm gonna say here. Now do it! All I ask is thirty seconds of your time… Oh yeah, and I apologize for how short it was.**


	27. Ganon's Castle

**AN: Uh oh… I have no idea how long it's been since I last updated. I hope it wasn't too long. I got a little obsessed with a video game and just didn't feel like writing. It's nice and long though, to make up for it.**

As the three swords descended, Link and Naito dove forward at the same time. The each slid between the legs of a darknut, and rolled to their feet behind them. They spun quickly at the same time as the darknuts, and Link stepped forward. He parried an attack with his shield and stabbed toward the darknut's shoulder. His blade pierced a weak part of the armour just under the shoulder blade, and the darknut roared in anger. It kicked him with an iron boot, knocking him onto his back. It followed up with a quick downward stab, but Link rolled to the side, and then back the other way as it stabbed again.

Naito saw this in the corner of his eye and jumped at the darknut. He flipped over its head with a downward slash that removed its helmet, and then landed beside Link, who was just getting up. The other two darknuts were coming in from the side, so they darted past the staggering one that Naito had hit before they were surrounded.

Link eyed the helmet that had fallen from the darknut Naito hit. He gauged its size, and then dodged past a darknut to grab it.

"Distract them!" He shouted at Naito.

Naito nodded, and drew his bow. He fired an ice arrow at one of the darknuts' legs, then stepped forward and ducked under a slash before hitting it with his sword and stepped back. He hit another from behind as it walked toward Link, and then launched a fire arrow at the third. They were all advancing on him now, trying to back him against the fire wall.

"You better have one hell of a plan!" Naito yelled at Link, who was putting on his iron boots.

"Just dive toward the centre of the ring when I yell!" Link called, drawing a bomb.

Naito nodded, stopping as he reached the edge. He fired two ice arrows, creating a small wall to hold off the darknuts. They hacked it down easily, and one of them stepped within swinging range.

"Naito, now!" Link yelled, and Naito dove between two of them, using his small size to his advantage. He rolled toward the centre and spun to look at Link.

Link was holding the open bottom of the helmet against one of the darknuts' back, and just standing there. Naito opened his mouth to say something when there was a loud BOOM, and Link's arms buckled. Jets of flame burst out the eyeholes of the helmet, and the darknut hurled forward into the flame wall. Its armour melted away as it laid sprawled half in and half out of the ring. It gave one final roar before laying still and sliding off the edge of the platform, its armour now mostly melted.

"What the hell was that!?" Naito yelled in surprise.

"Bomb in the helmet. The full force of the explosion hit him because it had nowhere else to go." Link explained. "Almost broke my arm, too." He added as an afterthought, before drawing his sword again and facing the other two.

Naito stepped beside him, and they waited as the darknuts closed in. Link stepped forward to meet them as Naito drew his bow. Link parried a swing with his shield and smashed its face with his sword, sending it staggering back. He spun with the momentum of his swing and stepped toward the second, thrusting his sword forward. It parried his blade and tried to kick him, but Link back flipped before quickly jumping forward and bringing his sword down viciously. It split the helmet in two, and it fell apart in two pieces.

The other was sneaking up behind him, but Naito put an arrow right into one of the eyeholes on its helmet. It staggered back with a yell, wrenching the arrow free. Link then drop kicked it in the chest and it stumbled back into the flaming wall. The straps around its back holding its armour on were incinerated instantly, and as it stepped forward from the flames its armour fell off.

The armour-less one darted forward with newfound speed, and took a swing at Naito. Naito dropped to his knees with one hand on the floor to dodge it and then darted forward, stabbing up with his sword. It pierced the Darknut's stomach on an upward angle, and the Darknut dropped its sword. Naito wrenched his blade back out and then kicked the darknut, sending it staggering back into the wall of fire. It was engulfed with flame, and let out a single, inhuman cry of rage before lying still, at the edge of the platform.

Meanwhile, Link was dueling with the one which still had armour. They traded a few swipes before Link tried to surprise it with a spin attack. The ring of blue energy glanced across the darknut's armour and caused it to stagger back slightly. Link reared his arm back and thrust his sword forward with all his strength, but the darknut recovered in time and was able to parry this to the side, throwing Link off balance. Link threw himself backwards to avoid the follow-up attack and landed clumsily on his back.

The darknut stepped forward and Link kicked viciously upwards, connecting with its wrist. Its arm jerked up and its sword flew up and out of the ring, landing with a clang on the ground beneath the platform. Link

hopped to his feet and slammed his shield into the darknut's head, sending it reeling. He spun and kicked it in the back, sending it staggering forward through the fire and fell off the platform with a cry. Link twirled his sword and sheathed it.

He turned to see Naito standing at the other side of the platform, inspecting his hand casually.

"You know, if it wasn't too much trouble, you could have helped me with that last one." Link said.

"I'd already sheathed my sword with flourish. If I'd drawn it again, I would have looked stupid." He replied smoothly.

"Right, wouldn't want that." Link said sarcastically. As he said it, the ring of fire vanished. He suddenly remembered why he was down here, and the faint smile on his face vanished instantly.

He gestured for Naito to follow him, and took off toward the stairs. He heard Naito's small feet pattering behind him, keeping up fairly well. They hurried up the stairs, and began jogging toward the back door. Link remembered seeing a dark castle beyond a large barrier out there. They ran across the white bridge, and the barrier once more materialized in front of them as they drew close.

The slowed to a stop in front of it, and stood for a second, staring at it. Link spoke up, saying, "Draw your sword. There is a lot of magic in this barrier, so we're going to focus all of our energy into the Master Sword. Understand?"

Naito nodded, drawing the sword with his left hand. He lifted it up, and Link out his right hand on the hilt above Naito's. They raised the sword together, feeling the energy flowing down their arms and into the sword. The faint aura of light around the blade intensified, and the two heroes brought the blade down simultaneously. It cut through the barrier cleanly and smoothly, leaving a trail of white light. The area around the slash began to solidify, and it spread quickly. Within ten seconds, the entire barrier was completely opaque. Suddenly, with no warning, it shattered, raining pieces of what looked like dark glass down both sides of the bridge. The silence after the shattering barrier was almost painful, and after a moment of solemn silence, Naito and Link began walking forward again.

After the bridge, they followed a trail up a small, grassy hill, and then crossed a brown bridge and approached the looming, dark castle.

"Here we are. It's finally time to end this." Naito said.

"Yes; but don't underestimate Ganondorf. I believe he's gained power since I defeated him… and I had Zelda's help. We… we don't know if Tetra will be able to help us here." Link replied.

"Don't worry. I'll be careful. How are we even going to get to him? Won't he pull out all the stops now? We barely took out those three darknuts." Naito asked.

"I don't think we'll find anything harder than that. I feel like… like there might be something he wants to tell me. I'm not sure about anything to be honest, but I can tell there's something different about him. He seems less vicious. I thought he'd go into a rage when he met me in the Forsaken Fortress, but he spoke calmly, almost sadly. I think it might be… I think it might be because I'm the only other person from our time, and deep down inside he feels as attached to Hyrule as I do. I'm not saying he won't try to kill us; don't let your guard down. All I'm saying is that I'm not really sure what to expect." Link explained slowly.

Naito nodded solemnly. "Well… I think it's time we found out." he said, and without another word the two opened the door to the castle.

After a short hallway, they came into a giant entrance hall. The walls were smooth, dark stone, with statues of grotesque creatures lining the walls. It was otherwise completely empty.

They walked forward, towards the door at the other side. Halfway through the room, a dark shape rose from the ground in front of them. They stopped short, drawing their weapons as it revealed itself to be Phantom Ganon.

It laughed quietly, and then said. "Put away those swords; I'm not here to fight you. Lord Ganon wishes for me to inform you that he awaits your arrival in the castle's highest tower. Do not keep him waiting." With that said, it vanished back into the ground. Link and Naito sheathe their swords.

"I guess you were right." Naito commented.

Link nodded, and they quickly headed through the door and deeper into the castle. They navigated many eerily empty corridors and several flights of stairs before they found the castle's keep. It was nothing more than a series of circular rooms with a spiral staircase along the wall the whole way up. It was very wide for a tower; Link guessed the diameter was around thirty feet or so. They headed up the stairs with Link in the lead and Naito following close on his heels, identical looks of determination on their faces.

The tower was incredibly tall; they passed countless empty, seemingly useless rooms before the staircase ended. They stepped into the final room, and there, in the middle, was Ganon himself. He was standing behind a small bed where Zelda (Tetra?) lay motionless. He was peering at Link and Naito with a distant look in his eyes.

"I'm very impressed that both of you were able to make it to my castle. I'd thought that barrier I put up to be invincible. But you know what? I don't think I ever truly doubted that you'd find a way. Because I know you Link; I know you better than you know yourself. I also know that you won't kill me… because you need my help to bring Hyrule back." Ganondorf said.

Link stared back, his expression unchanging. But he felt a hint of doubt in his heart.

"Yes… we both want the same thing here, don't we? Let's bring Hyrule back together… wouldn't you like to visit the Kokiri Forest once more? How about Lake Hylia? We could rebuild Kakariko village; we could rebuild Hyrule! Think about it… by stopping me, you would be killing Hyrule!"

"Don't listen to him! He's lying!" Naito yelled.

Link stood there, his calm face now troubled, his fists clenched by his sides. He was biting his lip so hard that he drew blood. He seemed not to notice. He took a tentative step toward Ganondorf, and then shook his head viciously.

"No! Hyrule's already dead. The land is an empty shell now… there would be no meaning in bringing it back. The people on the islands have their own lives now… we are the ones that don't belong. If you can't accept that… you will have to die!" Link yelled the last part, drawing his sword.

"You say that now…" Ganon said, and with a wave of his arm, the bed and Zelda vanished. Ganon then hurled a ball of dark energy at Naito, who collapsed, unconscious. "… but I have a feeling you won't be able to resist." He finished, and from inside his cloak he drew a small round object.

He placed it on the floor, and Link realized what it was with a gasp. His throat constricted, and he had trouble drawing a breath. On the floor was the ocarina given to him by Saria when he left the forest to begin his journey; the Fairy Ocarina. He had thought it to be lost when he drew the Master Sword for the first time, as it had vanished from his equipment. Ganon had had it the whole time.

Ganon laughed, and touched a single finger to the ocarina. Purple energy flowed from his finger to the ocarina, which began to float at shoulder height from the ground, surrounded by an ominous purple aura. Ganon slowly floated into the air, up to the extremely high ceiling before vanishing. Link barely noticed this; he had eyes only for the last symbol of his childhood.

"Link… you weren't really thinking about abandoning Hyrule, were you?"

Link spun around to see Impa walking toward him. "Impa?… no, impossible. It's an illusion." He said out loud.

"Link… as much as I hate to say it, you must help Ganondorf this time." Another voice said. It was Nabooru. And was the room getting darker, or was it just his imagination?

"Never!" Link shouted.

"Please Link… bring Hyrule back. I died because the goddesses didn't trust you'd be able to stop Ganon… do you think that's fair?" Malon said, approaching him from the far side of the room. The room was definitely darker now, and yet he could see everyone fine.

"I…" Link didn't know what he meant to say, but it didn't matter. He was interrupted by Darunia.

"Trust me, my brother; Ganondorf is right this time. You must aid him."

"None of this is real! Go away!" Link yelled at them all, backing toward a wall.

"Not real? Are you so blind you cannot even tell what is real anymore?" Rauru said condescendingly.

"We're trying to help you. Don't you trust us? We're your friends!" Malon yelled.

"Bring us back…" Nabooru said.

"Yes… it is your fault we died. If you revive Hyrule, you will be atoning for your sins." Impa stated.

"No… no. This isn't real! You wouldn't say this… you'd never trust Ganondorf. None of you would. Get out of my way!" Link yelled, raising his sword again.

"Stop!" Nabooru shouted, but Link ignored her. He began walking toward the ocarina, still floating there in an evil glow.

"In order to seek a new future… I must first let go of the past." Link said without even meaning to. It felt as though someone else were speaking through him. He continued toward the ocarina. His friends… no the illusions… tried to get in his way, but before he touched them they backed away. He finally reached the ocarina, and raised his sword up over his head.

"Link… don't. Please don't destroy my ocarina." Suddenly Saria was standing in front of him, behind the ocarina. Link hesitated, feeling doubt welling up inside of him once again.

"Link… you wouldn't destroy it, would you? I gave that to you as a symbol of our friendship."

"No… no! You're not Saria. You're an illusion, just like everyone else here. Ganondorf… you'll have to try a little harder. Now get THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!" Link screamed in rage, bringing his sword down with all his strength. Saria's face twisted with rage as his sword struck the ocarina, and then she vanished, along with the other illusions in the room. The ocarina fell to the ground in two pieces; the dark aura was gone. The room brightened almost instantly, and all noise ceased.

Link bent over and picked up the two halves slowly. "I'm sorry Saria… I had no choice." He said as a single tear rolled down his cheek.

He shook himself back to reality as he noticed Naito lying on the ground behind him. With the pieces still clutched in his hand, he walked over and shook him. Naito slowly opened his eyes, and looked up at Link.

"Ow." He said, slowly sitting up.

"Come on; we have to follow him. I think he want to the roof." Link said.

"Gotcha. Hey, what's that in your hand?" Naito asked, gesturing at the Ocarina shards.

"Nothing. Just a keepsake from a close friend. Now let's go; it's not over yet."

**AN: This has got to be the longest yet. Anyway, let me know what you thought. That whole thing at the end, I'm not sure if that was a good idea or if it was boring, so let me know.**


	28. The Final Battle

**AN: Ugh… back at school. Enough said. ****Anyway, sorry this took so long… but it's the longest chapter I've ever written I think.**

The two heroes began the climb to the top floor without another word. There was a rope hanging down against the wall, so Link and Naito began rappelling up the wall. Link was below Naito; if Naito slipped, Link would have a better chance of stopping him without falling than if Link fell on Naito. It turned out it wasn't an issue; neither one fell. They climbed onto a small ledge with a door. Link opened it and stepped out onto the balcony of the tower, staring out at the familiar landscape. They were higher than he thought, and he could see for miles. There was a stone ramp that led around the tower and up to the top, so he and Naito ran along it until they were atop the tower.

Ganondorf was at the other side, his back turned to them. Zelda lay on the ground, unconscious, behind him. They stepped off the ramp and properly onto the tower.

"My homeland… Gerudo Valley. You remember it, Link… it was a barren wasteland. Hot winds scorched the earth and created sandstorms by day, and freezing winds killed many people by night. No matter what, wind was always the enemy… but not in the rest of Hyrule. There it brought fertility, spreading the seeds of plants and grass. I… coveted that wind, I suppose." Ganondorf said, turning as he spoke the last sentence.

"And you were willing to kill countless people for it?" Link spoke, an edge to his voice.

"Link, things don't always come down to good vs. evil. It's a shame you can't see it that way; I understand why you stopped me all those years ago. It's a pity you are too ignorant to realize why I did what I did. I only wanted freedom for my people… a freedom you Hylians denied us!" Ganondorf countered.

"That's how it always starts… freedom for others, a better life, the greater good, and so on. But good intentions mean nothing." Naito said.

"It is you who are ignoran,t Ganondorf. You managed to convince yourself that everything you did was for your people, and maybe that was true, for a time. But if it is so, why did some of the Gerudo resist you? They saw the truth… they saw how power hungry you were." Link added.

"Say what you will… it is meaningless. For I have finally brought all the three crests of the goddesses together. Power and wisdom are now mine… all that remains… is courage. Once it is complete… he who touches it will have whatever he desires granted." Ganondorf said. He outstretched his hand and a blast of red energy hit Link square in the chest, knocking him on his back with a cry.

"Did you think you could fool me by giving the kid your power? Did you think I wouldn't know? I've seen more than you can imagine…" Ganondorf said to Link's crumpled form, before charging at Naito. Naito reached for his sword, but it was too late. Ganondorf punched Naito in the gut with his right hand and grabbed his wrist with his left. He lifted him off the ground by it, leaving him dangling limply.

"Do not fear… I will not kill you. I simply need the power that dwells within you." Ganondorf said, as the cloth covering Naito's hand vanished with a flash. The mark was revealed, glowing brightly. Link watched it vanish as he got to his feet, and saw the triforce piece's physical form appear above Naito's hand. Ganondorf dropped Naito as a second piece left Ganondorf's hand, and the third left Zelda's.

They three glowing triangles of light floated up into the air. They arranged themselves and connected suddenly, and the triforce was reformed once again. Glowing brightly, it slowly descended toward the tower. Ganondorf stared at it intently, greed filling his eyes. He turned to face Link and Naito, who had both managed to stagger to their feet. He raised his hands to the heavens, and turned his face upward.

"Godesses! Here that which I desire! Expose this land to the rays of the sun once more… Give Hyrule to me!" Ganondorf shouted, turning to touch the mystical triangles.

He stopped short. There, standing right beside the triforce with his hand planted firmly on its side, was the king of Hyrule.

"He who touches the triforce will have whatever he desires granted… is that not what you said, Ganondorf?" The king said triumphantly, "Great goddesses of the triforce! Here that which I desire! Hope! I desire hope for all men, women, children of the earth… let a ray of hope shine through to this new world! Wash this ancient land of Hyrule away, and let the rays of hope burn forth!" The king shouted to the heavens.

"NO!" Ganondorf shouted, his arm still outstretched to touch the triforce that would never be his.

"And let our destinies be fulfilled… Ganondorf. May you drown with Hyrule." The king said darkly, turning and heading for the ramp. The triforce floated up and out of sight as he did so.

Link and Naito stood, having watched this all unfold with wide eyes. Ganondorf was still standing stock still as the water began to fall. The water poured down in torrents, all around the tower. It hit the ground with a deafening roar, sending powerful ocean sprays hundreds of feet into the air. The tower shook, the sunlight was blotted out… the land was being buried under the full force of the ocean.

Then, from the middle of the tower, Ganondorf began to laugh; a deep, booming laugh with no trace of sanity left. It cut right over top of the roaring water, and he continued to laugh, howling at the sky, until he seemed to have no breath left.

"This is foolishness… a future… for you? Very well… allow me to show you… your future. Yes… Let me show you just what hope you have!" Ganondorf yelled, drawing two thin swords with golden handles, "Don't you see? Your goddesses have BETRAYED YOU!"

Link and Naito drew their weapons simultaneously. Ganondorf leapt at them, gliding through the air with a fury. He landed in front of them, and slashed out with his swords. Link and Naito back flipped to safety, holding their weapons defensively.

"Be careful… I don't think he even realizes what he's doing anymore." Link said to Naito, stepping forward toward Ganondorf.

He thrust forward, and Ganondorf parried his blade to the side with one sword while slashing at him with the other. Link blocked it with his shield, and slashed at Ganondorf's side with his blade. Ganondorf jumped backwards, twirled his swords, and pointed them at Link suddenly. Lightning shot through the blades and at Link, but he dove to the side to dodge it.

Naito leapt forward and slashed at Ganondorf rapidly. Ganondorf blocked each stroke effortlessly, and then kicked him in the chest. Naito fell backwards and his sword flew through the air, embedding in the ground near Zelda's head. Ganondorf raised his two swords into the air to finish him, but Link ran at him from the side. Ganondorf turned to block his incoming slash, and Naito turned to go retrieve the Master Sword.

Ganondorf saw this and tried to stop him, but Link got in his way, attacking so viciously that Ganondorf had no choice but to forget about Naito. Naito grabbed the sword hilt and wrenched it free of the stone tower with a grunt. Zelda's eyes opened at the sound, and she slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes. She looked around, and her eyes widened.

"Naito! Sorry… I overslept. Are you all right?" She asked.

"Me? I'm fine… Link's the one in trouble right now. I have to go help him out; wait here," Naito said firmly, turning to help Link, who was backing away from Ganondorf's vicious onslaught.

"Wait!" said Zelda, grabbing his arm, "You have a bow right? Give it to me! I'll cover you!"

"I don't think arrows will hurt him…" Naito said skeptically.

"There's no time! Just trust me!" Zelda yelled.

Naito nodded, taking off his quiver. He handed it to her and she tossed it over her shoulder, and then took his bow as he offered it to her. Without another word, he ran back into the fray.

Link blocked yet another slash and then ducked the follow up attack. He had been reduced to blocking and dodging; he couldn't even find the time to attack. He could feel himself tiring already; he'd been doing a lot on very little sleep or food for the past few days, and it was taking its toll.

Finally, just when he thought he couldn't hold out any longer, Naito lunged at Ganondorf from behind. Ganondorf blocked it without turning, and then leaped high into the air, landing a good distance away from them. He twirled his swords to perform another magic attack, but he was struck by an arrow from the side. There was a flash of light and he yelled out, falling to one knee and planting his swords into the ground for support.

Link and Naito dashed over to him, but Link got there first. He slashed Ganondorf across the chest, spun and stabbed him deep in the stomach. There was a spray of greenish blood, which was washed away by the 'rain' pouring down on the tower. Ganondorf staggered back, but the wounds closed themselves up quickly. Naito arrived and took a swing, but Ganondorf had recovered, and jumped over Naito, landing in the middle of the tower again.

"You can use light arrows?" Link quickly asked Zelda. She nodded.

"Good. Keep it up… we'll need to weaken him before Naito can finish him." Link called, yelling over the noise. The water around them was rushing faster now; and the sprinkle that was hitting the tower had become a torrential downpour.

Link and Naito charged Ganondorf simultaneously. He blocked both of their swings, and all three of them stood with their blades locked, trying to overpower each other. Link rolled to the side around Ganondorf, slashing at his back as he rolled. At the same time Naito leaped up over Ganondorf, landed a glancing blow on his shoulder, and landed behind him as well. Zelda hit him with a light arrow as they landed, and while he was stunned, Naito and Link both stabbed him in the back.

He yelled in anger, pulling himself forward off of the blades. Both wounds healed quickly, although the one inflicted by the Master Sword lasted longer. He spun and charged at Link and Naito, rage in his eyes. He threw Naito to the side with a swing of his arm, and hit Link with his shoulder at full speed. Link yelled and flew through the air, landing hard on his back. He slid on the wet surface, stopping just before the edge.

Naito got back to his feet, and saw Ganondorf advancing on Link, who was twisting in pain at the edge of the tower. He ran over to Ganondorf, a loud, primeval screaming tearing through his throat. He unleashed a flurry of slashed, intent on keeping Ganondorf away from Link while he recovered.

Link slowly got up, ignoring the spasms of pain shooting through his body. Just as he finally stood up straight, a stray jet of water struck the ground directly in front of him. He stumbled back in surprise and lost his footing. He fell backward off the tower, and time seemed to slow down as he saw the edge slip away. He felt oddly calm as he drew his hookshot, tumbling down amid gushing water. The heavy spray made it almost impossible to see, but he ignored the low visibility. He aimed his hookshot at the barely visible tower, as if he had all the time in the world. A voice in his mind screamed to pull the trigger, and he obeyed it. He heard the satisfying THUD of the hook on wood, and was pulled over to the tower as he released the trigger. He held his feet out forward to avoid slamming into it too hard, and found himself hanging above the flooded land of Hyrule, with his hookshot embedded in a small wooden decoration over a window.

He rubbed the water out of his eyes with his free hand and drew his body close to the window. He didn't want to risk being knocked off by the water. With his hookshot still embedded in the wood, he began kicking at the window. Three kicks shattered it, and he took one last up to see how far down he had fallen. He guessed he was about three quarters of the way up the tower, although the water below made it hard to judge. He slid through the window and landed on the spiral staircase that led up around the tower, and began running up.

Naito saw none of this; he was too busy dueling Ganondorf to even see Link fall. He learned quickly that Ganondorf was way too strong to fight directly, but Naito was faster. He dodged Ganondorf's attacks when he could because blocking them threw him off balance, and delivered very few counter attacks. He looked around for Link, but couldn't see him. Zelda took another shot with the bow, but Ganondorf deflected the arrow and continued his attack.

"Where the hell is Link?" Naito screamed at Zelda over the roar of the water.

"I-I dunno, I can't see him! Damn it!" She screamed in frustration, trying to line up another shot.

Naito leaped back, and felt Ganondorf's blade graze his stomach; a very thin line of blood appeared beneath the torn tunic. He growled in frustration and slashed repeatedly at Ganondorf, panting heavily. His arms felt like lead, and his legs were headed that way. Where the hell was Link?

Link ran up the stairs, gasping for breath. He needed to save energy for when he continued to fight, but if he didn't get there soon it would be too late. Finally, he arrived in the final room. He half ran-half staggered over to the rope on the wall, and prepared to climb.

"Goddesses… if you're there… we need your strength." Link panted to the empty room. He got no answer.

Back on top of the tower, the fight raged on. Zelda had missed three more shots, and was beginning to worry about the supply of arrows. Naito was reduced to trying to keep as much distance between himself and Ganondorf as possible, but it was nearly impossible. Ganondorf was always two steps ahead, and no matter where Naito turned he had to dodge another attack.

"For Din's sake, Zelda! Shoot him! SHOOT HIM!" Naito screamed as loud as he could as he back flipped away from another attack.

"The hell do you think I'm trying to do?" She yelled back, readying another arrow. Ganondorf blocked it too, and then focused his gaze on her. He charged at her, both swords poised to kill. She shrieked and fumbled for an arrow, but it was going to be too late. She closed her eyes and raised her arms in defense.

"NO!" Link yelled, dashing in front of her. He parried the blades and forced Ganondorf back with a violent shield shove. He'd barely made it; Ganondorf had charged at her as soon as he got to the roof. Ganondorf quickly recovered from the surprise, and began to fight back.

Naito started forward, but his legs finally gave out and he fell to the wet floor. He was exhausted, mentally and physically, and couldn't bring himself to get up. Zelda was just standing there with wide eyes, her bow held uselessly at her side.

"Help me! Help me, damn it!" Link roared, not even sure who he was yelling at anymore. He stepped backward, fending off attack after attack. His arm ached from the vibration, and his legs were so tired they were trembling.

Naito slowly got to his feet. He gripped his sword, and it began to glow a brilliant blue. It pierced through the rainy gray fog, and he felt energy; pure, powerful energy flow from the sword into his body. He looked around with renewed strength, and quickly realized he was standing behind Link, who was holding Ganondorf off. He was finally thinking clearly, and realized the best way around Ganondorf's defenses.

"Link! Give me a boost!" He yelled, running forward. The instructions were hopelessly vague, and yet somehow, Link saw the entire plan, as if he were reading Naito's mind.

Link dropped his weapons and stepped backward as Naito drew close, turning his body sideways. He lowered his arms and clasped his hands together, bending his knees. Naito leaped into his hands and he flung him up with all of his strength, collapsing to his knees with the effort. Naito flew into the air, and Link used his last bit of strength to pick up his sword and thrust it halfway into Ganondorf's stomach. Ganondorf dropped his swords at the sudden pain, and Naito landed on his shoulders. The Master Sword slid silently and easily into Ganondorf's forehead as he looked up just a second too late.

Everything seemed to freeze. Link, lying on the ground, managed a weak smile. Zelda fell to the ground in relief. Ganondorf stood there, looking up, a calm look on his face. Naito stood on his shoulders, emotionless, not even blinking. The roar of the water seemed quieter and less important all of a sudden.

"The wind… it is blowing." Ganondorf said quietly. His eyes had lost their angry gleam, and he seemed rational… sane again. Naito hopped down, but left the sword where it was. Ganondorf stood there, the Master Sword in his head and Link's blade in his stomach, for a moment longer. Then his head turned to stone, and it moved down his body, encasing every part of him and the sword Link had impaled him with. Within seconds, the Master Sword was embedded in something that could have simple been a statue; no sign that it had once been living remained.

The sound of water came back with a vengeance; the tower was now surrounded in a wall of water. The water level had drawn even with the tower, and was now rising faster. Another sheet of water poured down from above, and the three raised their arms and closed their eyes…

But there was no impact. They were each surrounded by a bubble, which protected them from the water pressure, and allowed them to breathe. The three looked at the king, who had appeared once more on the tower. He had no bubble, yet was able to speak.

"My children… listen to me. I have lived regretting the past, clinging to an ancient land that exists no longer. Not a day has gone by when I haven't found myself dwelling on this kingdom of mine. I have lived bound to Hyrule. In that sense, I was just like Ganondorf. But you, Link… you alone, of the three survivors of Hyrule, were able to let go, and make the right choice. You alone can look to the future, and thus, have earned your place in it. Farewell… this is the only world that your ancestors were able to leave for you. Please… forgive us." The king said, looking at each of them in turn.

"W-wait! You can come with us! We have a ship! We can find it… no, we WILL find it! The next Hyrule! So…" Zelda said, trailing off as the king smiled kindly.

"But child… no matter what name you give it… that land will not be Hyrule. It will be YOUR land!" The king shouted, raising his arms. Link felt himself floating upwards, away from the tower.

"NO!" Naito yelled, reaching his arm toward the king as he too was lifted up. The king started to raise his arm in response, but lowered it with a final wave. Zelda floated up last, with tears in her eyes. The king, and Hyrule itself, slowly faded from view as Link, Naito, and Zelda, floated up towards the light and away from Hyrule for the final time.

_Five days later…_

"Ready the main sail!" Tetra yelled to her crew, back in her pirate clothes. Link, who was sitting at the front of the ship, watched another pirate hoist the sail. Naito was standing at the back, waving good bye to his island… perhaps for the last time.

A lot had happened since the final battle atop Ganondorf's tower. Link, Zelda, and Naito had surfaced, and found the pirate ship waiting for them. They were brought back to Outset Island, where they spent a day silently and separately grieving. The next day, they created their plan to honour the king's last request, and find a new land. They were going to visit several of the larger islands to recruit settlers, and then sail south, beyond the limits of any map. It was risky… but considering what the three of them had survived, it wasn't too big a risk. After another day of preparing, here they were, ready to set sail.

"You okay?" Tetra asked him, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Wh- yeah… yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking." Link replied, blinking.

"Okay… well, I'm going to see Naito… this is pretty hard on him." Tetra told him heading toward the back, where Naito was still standing. The ship was gently rocking, and Link could see the island fading further and further from view. Tetra and Naito were now talking quietly in the back. Good… he was glad Naito had someone close to his age to talk to.

He reached into his pocket, and pulled out the shards of his fairy ocarina. He cradled them in his lap for a while, and whispered, "Saria… did I do the right thing?"

There was no response… but he didn't need one. Staring at the pieces of his childhood treasure, he somehow knew he had. He stood suddenly, and cast all the pieces but one over the side of the ship. Letting go of the past was important… but treasuring parts of it was important, too.

**The End**

**AN: Whew. My fingers feel weird. I can't believe this story's over… I better start thinking of some new ideas. I'd just like to thank the following people for many reviews: Oniyuri Tiger Lily, Link Fangirl01, outofstategirl, Anime Wildfire, and herooftimes. If I forgot anyone, sorry, but I appreciate it anyway. **

**Finally, let me just say that if you're only going to review one chapter, it might as well be this one, since it is the last. Hope to see you in the reviews!**

**-Link the Hylian**


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